my wife wants to get me a dishwasher for my birthday/fathersday present. any sugestions on a good one with out spending to much money. say around $500
no one has any sugestions 
From Consumer Reports. I think they tested them in the Jan. issue this year. It might pay you to go to the library and read the whole article.
I would suggest buying the best basic dishwasher that you can afford. You really don’t need 18 different cycles and 42 different drying temperatures!
Unfortunately, many of the better built machines also have all of those unnecessary bells and whistles.
I recently bought a Frigidaire for around $300 that should have been used as a boat anchor. I should have listened to my inner voice and bought one with a stainless interior just because of the noise level because this one can wake up the dead. I’ve had them service it a couple of times but it still is noisy.
I, too, recommend reading Consumer Reports. You should have plenty of money in the budget to get a nice dishwasher AND take the Mrs. out for a nice dinner so she doesn’t have to use it! 
We bought a Fisher and Paykel “Dish Drawer,” and I have only one comment:
I LOVE THAT FUCKING DISHWASHER!!!
It’ll run you substantially more than $500, but you’ll make it back in no time. It uses about US$15.00 a year to run. Yeah, you read right, $15.00. A regular wash cycle uses 1.5 Liters of water, and everything comes out sparkling. It’s incredibly quiet and it looks awesome!
Buy 2.