what kind of garage/flooring do you have?
i can give you some very personal experience...
1. DO NOT EVER EVER get one of those limp dick jacks that you need to pull out the handle to let it down and then slide the handle back in and turn it to lock it into place... i snapped 1 tooth in half and chipped 2 others with one of those pieces of shit
the TEETH SMASHER 9000
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00950523000?rgn=0,0,640,640&scl=2.56&fmt=jpeg
i was just looking at jacks at sears.com
you don't want to get the michelin jack that the handle doesn't go straight up and down, even at its highest its still on an angle which is a pain in the ass in tight spaces
i was extremely happy with my aluminum race jack, cost me about 70 bucks a year or so ago at one of those tool shows, but it doesn't have an internal bypass like a normal jack, so when you get to its max height, it won't move anymore, and if you have a big ox in your garage who doesn't know this, then he'll end up blowing the seal right out of the jack, like what happened to mine...
this one was only 24 lbs... i loved it
the aluminum ones have a faster rise, which = one pump to get to chassis level, then each pump is a little harder than a conventional, but will lift the car faster
sears has one of these for 90 bucks on sale this week, $30 off reg price of 120
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00950240000?rgn=0,0,640,640&scl=2.56&fmt=jpeg
good for lowered cars
this one weighs 55 pounds, good deal for the money and easy to bring with you
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00950239000?rgn=0,0,640,640&scl=2.56&fmt=jpeg
4000 lbs capacity, 44 lbs but 200 bucks at sears
now if you just want a regular LONG term multi use jack, get one of these
http://s7.sears.com/is/image/Sears/00950238000?rgn=0,0,2016,2306&scl=9.224&fmt=jpeg
$220 and 88 pounds but will last years
the one i currently have at my shop i've had for about 6 years, it came with an SUV adapter which = another 6 inches of lift, had a fast lift pedal to get the from ground to chassis in 1 push of the foot...
the turning gear got lose so i took it apart to tighten it up and lost some of the fluid so now it only goes about 3/4 of the way up
i got it at sams club for about 90-100 dollars a long time ago, but its pretty f'in heavy
lol