Well, you can buy the inexpensive Amana ACR4303MFS coil for $467 which doesn't look too bad but did poorly in Consumer Reports tests. I'd spring for the Whirlpool WFE515S0ED smoothtop at $584 which tested better.

You can find inexpensive coil ranges at Home Deport starting at $368 but they don't even include an oven timer. I don't think you can make a cheap range look better by changing the knobs...even if you can find ones that fit.

Skip the coil, get a decent stove. They don't break either.They don't look tacky.Even cheap new rentals have abandoned the coil and drip pan. Treat yourself to some better cookware to go with the new range.

I'm with you, I hate glass top ranges because of the noise they make whenever someone slides something on them (like to center a pot over a burner). Coils are better in that regards AND because I have fond memories of having run out of matches but needing to light the woodstove - a glowing coil stove ignited a piece of cardstock nicely so I could get a fire going, LOL.

Amazon has a lot of different knobs for GE stoves, that is the first place I would check. And there are a few models in stainless steel finish that might have a more upscale look than a flat white (if that's the color you were looking at).

Noise..............................?

To clarify: My decision is not about budget. It's just that I've installed several smooth top ranges in rental apartments and, in the care of tenants, the stove tops started looking ratty after a year. (Plus, I enjoy slinging around my old cast iron pans.) The range I'm looking at is a stainless steel GE... the best they offer in a coil model. I've installed the same stove in several places and it's a real work horse. I appreciate the reliability. But wow... the detailing is chintzy!!! If I could switch out the knobs and handle with something more upscale, I'd be so happy.

Get induction and change your life.

Why do the stove tops start looking ratty? Is it because stuff gets baked on? If so buy an inexpensive induction stove. Nothing bakes on.

If this is for you, why would even a standard smooth top look bad as presumably you would be in control of cleaning it.

And FWIW, ANY coil top stove in 2019 looks cheap and tacky even when new.

As others have posted, if this is for you get an induction cooktop which cooks better than any electric coil - is easy to clean because nothing bakes on and looks beautifully sleek. And doesn't make your kitchen look like something from the 1970's.

I live here only 3 months of the year... The rest of the time the place is rented to tenants who are wonderful people but don't necessarily follow instructions for care and cleaning. When a coil burner gets messed up, it's a 5-minute fix––pull out the old burner, plug in the new, and pop in a new drain pan. That said, I genuinely prefer to cook on a coil burner. You cannot pry my old cast iron frying pan from my hands!

Cast iron cook’s even better on induction. As does everything else. You can get a Frigidaire induction range for less than 1K. It will be 1000x better than that antique technology.

Cast iron and induction are best friends you just can’t sling it onto the cooktop. As for noise put a piece of paper towel down and then your pan. IMO in a very short time all makers will have no coil electrics stoves they just make no sense when induction works so much better. If you want cheap it will look cheap and no new knobs will alter that. Teach your renters how to use the stove and in your contract make it clear they are responsible to look after it properly. Up the damage deposit.

Check with the manufacturer, they might have an option. It makes sense that you like what you like.

I totally understand where you're coming from. I, too, would rather have coils than a radiant smoothtop. However, the fact is that the coil stoves produced today are just plain cheap. You won't find a good new coil range now.

Neighbors who feel the same way ordered a new coil range and the paint job was horrendous, unlike the display model. They're very unhappy with it and the way that if you lean on it it gives, so the panel construction isn't great, either.

If your budget stretches that far, i would consider the Frigidaire Gallery induction range, which you you can pick up for less than $900:

https://www.ajmadison.com/cgi-bin/ajmadison/FGIF3036T.html

Or I would look in places like Restore for a used coil range in good condition.

Oh, and I can tell you from personal experience that it's getting harder to find replacement parts for coil ranges these days. I'm currently renting where there's a nice old GE and I went through seven sets of replacement burners trying to find some that fit properly before giving up.

I get what you're saying about renters and glass tops, but really, new coils aren't a perfect solution to that, not now. Shop used if you don't want to put in induction.

To add to writersblock's comments: You may be able to find one that's reconditioned.

I agree with the OP - for only 3 months yearly and tenants the rest of the year, what she wants is probably her best choice. But it's going to look tacky for those 3 months.

The house we rent ever summer has a similar stove. There is no natural gas on the Vineyard, and they owners do not want a propane tank and are thrifty New Englanders who would never spring for an induction stove. So for 4 weeks every summer, I cook on the old electric range with coils.

I would rather cook on coils than a smoothtop electric range and I would like an oven with open elements on the bottom. I would probably try to find something vintage.

If this is a seasonal/tourist area, the odds are very high of being able to find a vintage/used range in very good condition. My neighbors have tossed them by the dozen to put in radiant smooth tops that they pretend to like. Keep an eye on craiglist, offerup, freecycle, etc. You may find an older range with very low actual usage.

If I didn't put in induction, I'd have gone for an old (60's or older) electric range.