Suggestions for a replacement garage door opener
you won't find pricing suggestions here. pricing recommendations become out of date too quickly.

in my experience, if you're looking for smooth operation then you need to concentrate on the door. make sure it opens and closes smoothly. a bad garage opener will still open a well-adjusted door smoothly, but a good opener won't help a poorly adjusted door.

that being said, i really love my genie screw drive. they make a couple of models that open the door 2-3 times faster than it closes.