i have a rigid ts3650 off craigslist for 300 and a used rigid sliding miter that are great. the 3650 has a one piece cast iron trunion that keeps it true to the fence. these were built by the same company that was building the craftsman saws 10ish years ago.
the small contractor table saws are not very good, the fence on them is not accurate and will not stay square to the blade with any force. I used a dewalt for a small project and it was a pain to even rip a 2x4 lengthwise, not enough power and was burning due to the misaligned fence. look for something on CL with a good fence system. I see the ridgid's on there for around 300, some similar older craftsman for 150 or so.
look for something with an induction motor and belt driven. The induction motors have more torque than the "universal" motors ( perm. magnet) found on most small/portable saws. Remember, you can only get about 1.5 hp out of a 110 volt outlet, anything that says it has more power than that is lying to you. the new bosch says say they are 4hp! its a bs marketing number that does not mean anything.
for miter saws, i would go with a 12 in if possible. sliding is nice too, but i have found the sliders to be a bit less accurate when doing things like crown molding. Their downsides can be overcome by getting to know the saw and setting it up well. i would say any of the name brands will be good, I think the dewalt stuff has gone downhill a bit, and is over priced. you can get the ridgid, hatichi, etc. for less and they are just as good. the only standout (imho) is the bosch with the hinged arm, it takes up less room and is exceptionally stiff compared to the normal sliding rails of the rest. What i find important is the size of the table on the saw, the previous model ridgid has one of the largest tables i have seen.
i have cut sections of maple bowling ally 2.5 in thick with my 1hp table saw and it did not complain at all. a good, sharp blade and proper setup is very important also.
my previous miter saw was an older red 10 in ridgid that was a piece of crap.
i seem to end up with orange tools for some reason, its just what comes my way for a good deal.
damn.... i would cry loosing an older skill worm drive.