I also hung on to my CRT, an Iiyama Pro, for many years due to its near-perfect rendering ability and resolution. 1024x768x32@120Hz was very easy on the eyes and it was possible to run higher reso's without dropping the refresh rate too much. 1600x1200 @100Hz was what I mainly used, with vsync and triple buffering enabled, and tearing was non-existent.
After 11 years of use it start to show a green tinge that couldn't be adjusted out and which just got worse. With a heavy heart I disposed of it and replaced it with a 'budget' 24" widescreen from a firm called LG. That was three years ago and I have purchased another low-priced monitor made by Hanns.G (HZ281) which has a 27.5" widescreen with a native reso of 1900x1200x32bit @60Hz (same as the LG previously mentioned). I bought both these monitors for less than £200 each here in the UK. My wife now uses the 24" LG. Neither came with any of the dreaded "dead pixels" or cosmetic damage, and both are still functioning well after 3 years and 2 years respectively. They aren't top of the range but that is reflected in the price.
Dell and Samsung are the two major top-of-the-range players with prices in excess of £1000. I'm not quite sure what this premium buys; no doubt someone will enlighten us both soon
Interestingly, Iiyama are still in the monitor business. The Iiyama ProLite B2712HDS 27" Widescreen LCD Monitor looks to be a good deal at around £280. Reviews are very good.