Need recommendations for new projector

Take a look here at the current Sharp projector, this is a 6 day sale or till gone but I think all sales are final so any issues would need to go back to sharp. This is over 1/2 off the list price and well within you budget, a great deal and i have been wishing I could justify buying it all day.
http://www.avsforum.com/t/1461933/sharp-xv-z30000-for-1830-before-tax-6-days-left/0_100

What super wife, buying a new projector.?.........hope this is contagious............
nothing personal, but your XVZ2000 wasn't any where near the top of Sharp's offerings in 2005. It was the lowest priced model featuring Texas Instruments latest HD2 DLP imaging. 1200 ANSI lumens, 2500:1 contrast, 1280x720 native resolution, capable of displaying 1080i. A good value, but nothing ground shaking.
The Epson 3020 : 2300 lumen, 40,000:1 contrast, 1920x1080 native resolution, 3 LCD imaging, 1080p, 3D, 2D to 3D conversion.
Panasonic AE7000: 2000 lumen, 300,000: contrast , 1920x1080 native resolution, 3 LCD imaging, 1080p, 3D, 2D to 3D conversion
Either of these is a big upgrade from what you have.
I leave it to you to research the other important issues:
does the lens zoom range fit my screen and mounting distance?
do I need lens shift? ( does the new projector have the same lens orientation: centered or off set?)
who does 3D better? (if you care)
who has longer bulb life in the real world? (personal experience with Panasonic commercial projectors with their UHM tech. lamps has been excellent, rarely fail before 4000 hours)
Which dealer will offer better service/ warranty coverage?

Is this going to be a surprise purchase? If so, there is an important factor that needs to be considered. There is a definite difference between LCD and DLP projectors. Many people have have a strong preference for one or the other technology. If your husband's previous purchase was a DLP, he might have a real preference for DLP and could be disappointed with a new LCD projector.

The short answer is that the two different technologies each have their own advantages and limitations. Many people have certain limitations that they can live with, and certain limitations that really bug them. You want to choose the technology that has the limitations you can live with and not the one that has the limitations that bug you. For example, if you see rainbows in DLP buy an LCD. If you are bothered by convergence issues in LCD, get a DLP. There are other issues with each. In the end you have to balance what's important to you personally.

This article has more detail on comparing the two:

http://www.projectorcentral.com/lcd_dlp_comparison.htm

It is from a few years ago, but is still relevant. (It's not clearly marked that the article is 5 pages long. Look for the blue next page button at the bottom of each section.)