washing machine

[Khan]

Just as I was about to second freebird on a combo washer/dryer. What if you do not have clothesline at your next residence?

And why tear up the house? Somebody else will pay you more for the house than just the empty lot, no?

The house is falling apart. Just hope it outlasts the cat.

 

[NW-Bound]

Nah. It can't be that bad. From previous posts, you have put some money into it for remodeling. You just hated it.

Housing of any kind will require maintenance. They don't call them money pit for nothing. This is where men, who tend to be more handy than women, have an advantage. I would hate my house too, if I have to call a repair man for everything.

 

[Meadbh]

A discontinued model at a nearby Sears outlet set me back less than $400.

Ditto.

 

[freebird5825]

Nah. It can't be that bad. From previous posts, you have put some money into it for remodeling. You just hated it.

Housing of any kind will require maintenance. They don't call them money pit for nothing. This is where men, who tend to be more handy than women, have an advantage. I would hate my house too, if I have to call a repair man for everything.

This is very true (men tending to be handier ), except in cases where women learned because of necessity or took an interest in diagnostic/repair skills. Or lived alone and were DIYers by choice.
I can hold my own on pretty much everything except power, plumbing, welding, any house exterior repair, and tree removal. I don't do ladders above 6 feet.
I know how to, but can no longer operate power tools that require gripping strength or vibrate heavily.
These areas are the things that get contracted out or delegated to dh2b in return for laundry folding or home-cooked meals, both of which he does not excel at.

 

[Buckeye]

I'm hooked on front-loaders after having one for the last 5 years. Virtually no guilt about running small loads as the machine uses only the volume of water necessary for the weight of the load. Tumble method seems to be good for getting things clean and wear on clothes.

 

[Lakedog]

My old Maytag started leaking a few months ago -- replaced with a Roper (made by Whirlpool) for $278 at Lowes. It is a basic large capacity top-load washer and seems to do just as well as more expensive machines I've owned.

 

[growing_older]

I have had good experiences with Sears. Machines last 20+ years. I've avoided the top-of-the-line models to stay away from the latest electronics and features most likely to break. I've avoided the bottom of the line models to stay away from some manufacturing line saving money on parts that could limit the useful lifetime of the machine. Since they last such a long time, my experience is limited, but they've been inexpensive and very reliable. I have seen "sales" where which machines get great prices rotates through the lineup they have. Sometimes makes it worthwhile to delay a purchase to catch the "next" sale. Sometimes the sales clerks will even tell you about the future sale.

Be prepared to make a decision and stick to it. Sales must have some incentive to push higher end models, because they will likely try and talk you up the line and lots of what they told me just wasn't true anyway (like extravagant savings for high efficiency models based on huge numbers of washer loads, or higher end models hold their value more. even if true, which I doubt, who cares? I'm not likely to try to sell it later on some secondary market).