My husband and I both own Toshiba Satellites. I've got no complaints, other than it runs a little hot and VERY occasionally shuts down if I'm taxing the processor in an environment over 90 degrees. I live in Georgia; it happens occasionally. I'd love for the battery to last longer, but I don't think I'm going to find ANY laptop that will run for seven hours, the way I use it, without needing to be charged.
One thing I really love the wide-screen format. It makes working with spreadsheets a whole lot easier; I've got more real estate before I have to start side-scrolling.
Before this, I owned a Dell, and it gave me quite a bit of trouble. Hard drive, CD drive, and motherboard all died at one point or another.
Have you got a friend/family member who's good with computers? Until I really got a handle on what I needed/wanted in a computer, I always took someone with me to look and buy, and found their on the spot advice invaluable!