Don't know what years are better than others. I owned a BDL made about 5 or 6 years ago and it was pretty awful compared to my other rifles. Fit and finish was poor and it failed to extract cases on a regular basis. That'll probably be my last 700, unless they change the design so that it fits what I want.

I've come to prefer rifles with the following features.

claw or Sako style extractor
fixed ejector (instead of the plunger type)
a safety that actually blocks the firing pin
one piece bolt (rather than a brazed on handle)

The Rem 700 has none of the above.