We (my parents) bought a new fridge not long ago. We went for a basic GE side-by-side with a water dispenser in the door. We went with white because my mother hates stainless; the fridge in her house is a counter-depth Bosch, and she dislikes how it gets fingerprints all over it. So when she picked out this fridge (since it will be hers in another year) she went with white--it's way easier to clean and it doesn't look weird in our kitchen the way another color would.
One thing I would say is to examine the fridge and make sure it has all of the shelving, drawers, and pullouts you need. I need a cheese drawer and a produce drawer, preferably one with a humidity control. A convertible meat pan is also nice, as is soda storage. I like the one we have because it has deep pocket shelves in the door, big enough to fit a gallon of milk. Think about these things when you pick out a fridge. Some people think they could care less, but they would miss those things if they weren't an option anymore.
And yes, if you want in-door water and ice without paying an arm and a leg, side-by-side is pretty much the way to go.
This is the fridge we bought, and I love it:
GE 25.0 Cu. Ft. Side-by-Side Refrigerator - GSH25JFXWW at The Home Depot I feel like it came with the right amount of bells and whistles for the price--it includes a water dispenser with water filter.
The real determining factor though is: what will fit in your space? We had to sand off a bit of the countertop to fit our fridge in the kitchen, but it was worth it! The old one was a Kenmore from the 70s. I'm soooo glad it's gone.