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I'm currently using a 1st Generation Moto G on PagePlus ($80 per year, but limited to 3G devices) but since I've started using the data connection a bit more I've been considering switching to Tracfone BYOP, since the data is significantly cheaper (and can be purchased separately from minutes) AND they now support 4G LTE devices on Verizon's network. My wife has been using a Moto G on Tracfone BYOP for a while now and its worked quite well.

My main concern is what handset to go with. The device will have to work on Verizon's network. I do miss having a MicroSD after having used a 32GB card in my Xperia Play for a while, but simply having a higher capacity (32GB+) phone and a good automated backup solution would likely be sufficient for me. My Moto G with only 8GB total space is quite cramped. Recording videos and installing games kills the space very quickly. My wife can barely do anything on hers because she uses several large apps.

So the number one handset I've been considering would be a Verizon LG G2. They can be had in good or better condition on eBay or other places for $125-$140, and they are highly esteemed for their balance of performance, battery life, screen quality and camera. Lots of people actually prefer them over the G3 and G4 in certain situations. I don't do enough to warrant getting the latest and greatest SoC, so I have little reason to justify spending more than $150 unless there is a vastly superior device available. I'll most likely be getting one for myself AND my wife (not sure which will get it first! ) so keeping the cost down is especially important.

What do you guys think? My main concern would be reliability, because a dead or defective phone does me no good. Second would be the ability to install Cyanogenmod (the latest if possible), because my wife and I have both been really missing it since switching to our Moto Gs (which both have 4.4.4, and a locked bootloader that has yet to be cracked).

Also, we have no interest in iPhones, and while I know that the Galaxy S4, S5 etc. are highly rated phones, I'm not sure if they are better in the areas that I'd need... and the S5 is a lot more expensive. I've also read a lot of complaints about getting the bootloaders unlocked so that you can do what you want with them.

Amazon has refurbished Galaxy S3's for around that price. I know because I was comparing just getting another vs replacing the front screen on mine.

If you can find one for the right price, I'd say the first or second-gen Moto X. Alternately, a Droid MAXX is a great phone, with killer battery life; I had one and I miss it. The Active Notifications and Touchless Control make all three of these really good phones.

Thanks for the tips guys. Just last night I caved in and bought an A-grade refurbished LG G2 32GB for $130 shipped. After doing a lot of reading it seemed like the best bang for the buck. Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330, 2GB RAM, easy bootloader unlocking, plenty of support for custom ROMs (including Cyanogenmod), 5.2" 1080P screen with an excellent screen to body ratio (its barely bigger than my 4.5" Moto G), highly rated camera, excellent battery life (so a refurb should still be better than many devices), AC wireless, NFC, infrared emitter, and the Verizon model has Qi wireless charging too. To compare to a more common phone, in performance and features it'd be between a Galaxy S4 and S5, leaning toward the S5.

The number one issue that seems to crop up with them is that the digitizer may end up with problems, but replacement digitizer\glass assemblies are only $7 on eBay (and are said to be OEM by many sources online).

Also, I was able to get a Trident Aegis case (still have one on my xperia play and it is excellent) for only $9.98 from Amazon, with prime shipping.

I'm looking forward to trying it out. It should be a pretty substantial step up in performance from my Moto G, and it'll be nice to get it activated on Tracfone BYOP without having to deactivate my current device on PagePlus. I've heard that its much easier to port your number after the fact, rather than try to port a number and activate a new phone at the same time. The savings in data costs will be substantial (PP is 10 cents per MB... Tracfone is around 1 cent or less), and I probably still won't use that many minutes or texts, so it will actually be cheaper in the long run.