Sort of a long story.
My mom has a Kitchen-Aid. She has had it for 30+ years and it works great. When I was younger she made bread regularly.
So about 7 years ago when I was engaged I bought a Kitchen-Aid from Sam's Club. Within less than 5 years I killed it. It started smoking. I took it into the Mending Shed, and it was going to cost as much to repair it as to buy a new one. I was so upset that I called Kitchen-Aid. They sent me a brand new mixer for no charge. I was so impressed.
Well, about 1 year later my mixer started having problems again. I called Kitchen-Aid who said that I worked it too hard. They couldn't help me. Luckily a neighbor told me that Sam's Club (and Cost-Co)will exchange mixers (and other items). They traded me straight across. That mixer was making a weird noise when I brought it home, so I took it back for another one.
I also received a Bosch for Christmas. It works great, and I am confident that it will work for years to come. I sold my Kitchen-Aid last month. I think that the Kitchen-Aid mixers are just not as well made as they used to be.
So my reccommendation if you plan on making bread regularly would be a Bosch. I don't like the center island as it is hard to scrape the bowl. It can make 4-6 loaves of whole-wheat bread at a time (as compared to 2 in my Kitchen-Aid). It has great attachments that work really well. I have a Universal. They also have a Compact and a new model. The new model has suction feet so it won't slide off of the counter and several other improvements, but it costs more. There is a Bosch Kitchen store in Orem on Center Street across from Wendys. Their website is
www.spoilthecook.com. My neighbor has a store in South Salt Lake County (I'm not sure exactly where), and I would be happy to call him for the address and phone number if that is closer.