Hi RP
I'm an absolute coffee nut ("snob" as my hubby might add.)
I have tried every imaginable coffee maker from french press types, to espresso machines to various drip types.
My very first coffee maker was this one:
Amazon.com: Melitta #640616 10C Manual Coffeemaker: Home & Garden
After all the purchases, some good and some bad, I keep going back to my tried and true manual Melitta. You boil a kettle of water, and pour it over the coffee grounds in a paper filter in the top section. The coffee you end up with is fresh, delicious and wonderful every time. To keep it hot, I put the whole pot in a saucepan with an inch or so of simmering water (left from the kettle) over low heat.
The trick with just about any coffee maker is getting the grind right (for the Melitta, ask for # 6 grind). The french press can be good, but the difficulty is getting the grind just right-too fine and the strainer clogs, too coarse and the coffee is weak when hot and cold when properly extracted.
The beauty of the manual Melitta is it's simplicity-it doesn't take up a lot of counter space, it's easy to figure out and the coffee is delightful.
If you break the carafe you can easily buy another without breaking the bank.