is the Samsung PN51F5300AFXZA Plasma HDTV the best bang for the buck?

i want a plasma, are there others in the price range that compete?

are there any issues with it that you see?

Have you looked into Panasonic? I'm not sure if things have changed, but Panasonic Plasmas were always rated very highly around the AVS forums. I own a Viera myself, and am very impressed with it even after 4 years.

Panasonic were the gold standard for Plasmas, they stopped making them this past year though, so that may mean you can get one for cheaper. I think most manufacturers are moving away from the technology because of the inherent issues with it (the heat, powerdraw, burn-in, etc) despite generally having PQ better than LCD/LED.