My sister lives in a small apartment where there is no room for a standard sized dishwasher, but she absolutely hates washing dishes.
So five years ago I bought her one of the little countertop machines. It is the perfect size for one person, it washes like it's bigger brothers, and she has had absolutely no problems.
I bought it from overstock.com. I don't remember exactly the price, but I know I paid under $300, and got free shipping. One of the best gifts I think she has ever received. She mentions it every time I see her how much she love this little dishwasher.
It takes up about the same amount of counter space as a microwave oven. In fact in her first apartment she had it in, she had it on a rolling microwave cart. In this newer, larger apartment she has it on the counter next to the sink.
One caution, this was even in the owner's manual, only use powder or gel detergent. The pods or packs are too concentrated, and too large of a dose for the smaller load. Second, always use a rinse aid, there is no heated drying.
