Josh — You’ve come to the right place. We have tons of paving professionals that visit the site regularly. I am not a contractor myself but have been in the industry for many years. I would suggest going with 3 inches of base. 2 doesn’t sound like enough to me. If you have neighbors that have used guy 2 before and their driveways still look great, I would feel good about going with him. The best proof is in the final product and how long it lasts. If you would really like to go with guy #1, I would have him provide some job references for driveways he’s paved 5 or more years ago. Same with guy number 3 if your really trying to be thorough. ALSO – if they have a web site go check there credentials… how long they’ve been in business, if they do work for larger companies also, etc. See who looks the most professional. These things can be a good indicator of the type of work they do. In short, make sure the company is well established, is professional in all they do, and can show you work that has stood the test of time. Sometimes this costs a little more, but will be well worth it. Best of luck. Maybe someone else will have something to say about it too.
