Your oldest appliance, just for fun

[Midpack]

Funny thing I just read. Long ago we used to expect to trade cars every few years* but we expected appliances to last 30 years. Now we need new appliances every few years while many car makes/models will go 200K miles with very little service beyond basic maintanence.

* yes, we know they can be kept running well at some cost

 

[mountainsoft]

We bought a new stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator when we built our house 13 years ago. We already had to replace the dishwasher a few years ago, and I had to replace the ice maker in the refrigerator a couple years before that. Things don't last like they used to.

My mom bought us a Toshiba microwave in 1986 when we got married. It's still running strong today 30+ years later.

I inherited my mom's old washer and dryer. She bought them new when I started high school, about 40 years ago. I replaced a couple of small parts over the years, but they were still working great. Last year the washer started having issues draining and filling. Rather than spend a couple thousand on a new matching set, I spent about $300 to replace most of the main parts in the washer (timer, switches, valves, hoses, etc.). It has been working great since then. Hopefully we'll get another ten years from it.

We also inherited an old blender from my mom. I have no idea how old it is, at least 45 years. But it still works great.

 

[JPatrick]

Small chest type Frigidaire freezer 32 years young.
Have a 12ga semi-auto shotgun that dates back to around 1900. It was completely refurbished at the Remington factory in 1962. Been fired once since then.

 

[arky]

An old Norge frig ~ 34 years. A little noisy but still going. I hope mentioning this does not jinx it!

 

[scrabbler1]

I have a microwave oven I received as a birthday present back in 1987. My LF at the time worked at an appliance wholesaler.


I have a handheld mixer I bought around the same time in 1987. I rarely use it any more. Still works.


I have a small dishwasher I bought in 1993. It began not working well by 2000-2001. Once I stopped working FT and had more time and patience to wash my own dishes again, I stopped using it altogether. It is little more than a table to put stuff on now.


I have an old ElectricBroom (vacuum cleaner) I bought from a roommate I had in 1986. Still works.


I have a desk lamp my mom bought me when I was still living at my parents house as a kid. She bought it for me when they built a second floor on the house in 1980 and everyone got promoted into a larger bedroom. The lamp came with the larger setup and has followed me to every place I have lived since then.


The stove which came with my apartment I bought in 1989 is still here.

 

[SteveNU]

An old Sharp microwave that was given to us as a wedding present 36 years ago, still use it everyday.

 

[Moemg]

A side by side GE fridge that is 21 years old . The funny thing it started leaking 7 years ago so I replaced it with an LG french door fridge that died in 31/2 years and the side by side is in the garage going strong and has never leaked again.

 

[Nodak]

International Harvestor deep freeze from the 1940s. It was in the basement when I bought this house and still works great.
Speed Queen washer and dryer from the mid 1980s; also in house since I have owned it.

 

[Live And Learn]

I don't know exactly how old the appliances in this house are but they are around 12 give or take. Basically approaching end of life according to the article Midpack linked us to. That's why I use accrual accounting. I already have the funds set aside (on paper - kept outside of my portfolio) to pay for replacements.

 

[aja8888]

1919 Upright Victrola with tons of 1/4" thick albums (Grandmother's music collection - most are Lithuanian polkas). Hand crank, non-electric.

1976 General Motors double door fridge - great unit, never needed repair. -now relocated to the garage.

1971 VW Super Beetle - Currently under restoration, but runs well.

 

[RE2Boys]

1965 GM Frigidaire upright freezer continuous yes except to defrost. It has never been moved since delivered into basement 50+ years ago.


Sent from my HTC VLE_U using Early Retirement Forum mobile app

 

[ABQ2015]

1962 GE electric stove with double oven. It is original to when the house was built and still works.

 

[Ian S]

An old Sharp microwave that was given to us as a wedding present 36 years ago, still use it everyday.

We also have a Sharp microwave purchased around 1993 that is used daily and works well. The GE stovetop is original to the home built in 1970 however the wall oven was replaced ca 2000. I have an GE AM-shortwave transistor radio I got as a gift when I was a kid in the early 1960's. Made in Utica NY and still woks well! No FM though. Oldest running thing in the house is a grandfather clock dating to the late 18th century as near as I can tell.

 

[Another Reader]

My aunt's Kenmore canister vacuum cleaner from the late 1930's. I don't use it any longer, but it still works. My aunt gave it to my parents in 1948 or 49. The canister is shaped suspiciously like a torpedo. I always wondered if the plant that cast the canister bodies was gearing up for WWII.

And then there is the General Electric alarm clock I got from a college house mate in 1973. Her boyfriend's parents were moving and she came back from a visit with a bunch of stuff from their house. My guess is late 50's or early 60's. Still plugged in and keeping the correct time.

 

[scrabbler1]

My aunt's Kenmore canister vacuum cleaner from the late 1930's. I don't use it any longer, but it still works. My aunt gave it to my parents in 1948 or 49. The canister is shaped suspiciously like a torpedo. I always wondered if the plant that cast the canister bodies was gearing up for WWII.

And then there is the General Electric alarm clock I got from a college house mate in 1973. Her boyfriend's parents were moving and she came back from a visit with a bunch of stuff from their house. My guess is late 50's or early 60's. Still plugged in and keeping the correct time.

Forgot about the Sony Dream Machine alarm clock I was given as a gift from my uncle (he owned an appliance store) before I went to college in 1981. The alarm feature failed several years ago, and I nearly missed my train to work because of that. The clock still works, though.

And I have another table lamp which has moved with me going back to when I was a kid at my parents house in the early 1980s.

 

[Winemaker]

I use dear late MIL's International Harvester refrigerator from October 1946 in my garage winery.

In 1999, DW and I took our 1988 fridge from our house and put in a rental house that we bought. That fridge is still running and we are on our 3rd fridge that replaced that. I hope I don't jinx myself.

 

[CitizenK]

I have a waffle iron that's 40+ years old. It's an Admiral brand from Montgomery Wards. It was a gift from my mom for my first apartment. I guess she thought that a young single guy starting out needed a waffle iron. It still gets used most weekends. I suspect that the non-stick coating isn't very good for me, but darn it, the waffles don't stick and I refuse to replace it. It's actually one of my most sentimental possessions.

 

[ChiliPepr]

Our plain Jane White-Westinghouse stand up freezer is going strong 24/7 after 18 years.

We have a spare freezer, White-Westinghouse, also about 30 years old.

Small chest type Frigidaire freezer 32 years young.

An old Norge frig ~ 34 years. A little noisy but still going.

A side by side GE fridge that is 21 years old .

International Harvestor deep freeze from the 1940s. It was in the basement when I bought this house and still works great.

1976 General Motors double door fridge - great unit, never needed repair. -now relocated to the garage.

1965 GM Frigidaire upright freezer continuous yes except to defrost. It has never been moved since delivered into basement 50+ years ago.

I wonder what the cost is to run these old freezers, some of the older freezers/refrigerators could be pretty expensive to run.

Has anyone put a Kill-a-Watt device on their freezer to see how much power it uses? Don't know how accurate it is, but Energy Star has a cost estimator.

 

[H2ODude]

Avocado colored blender, was wedding gift so 47 yo. Works fine.

 

[gerntz]

I wonder what the cost is to run these old freezers, some of the older freezers/refrigerators could be pretty expensive to run.

Investment is part of cost to run. These are all well depreciated to zero.

 

[iloveyoga]

Kenmore drop in smooth top stove and oven. 1991. I still love it and it works great.

 

[Dawg52]

I have an old GE blender that my mom bought many years ago. After doing a little research, I'm pretty sure it is a late 60's or early 70's model. Still chugging along.

 

[Totoro]

Looks like today's appliances usually last 8-15 years. I dread having to replace ours. And according to Consumer Reports, the premium brands like Viking, Wolf, etc. are typically no more reliable than the value priced consumer brands like GE, Whirlpool. I'd gladly pay much more for appliances that last, but not for looks and unnecessary bells and whistles.

Did they include Miele in that list? It's the one (consumer) brand with associate premium prices in Europe that is supposed to last infinity years.

 

[Totoro]

Being somewhat young and a renter I don't own many appliances, let alone old.

I think the oldest appliance is my iron which I won at a bingo event when I was about 10 years old. So that's 25 years old at least.

Most my other stuff is 15 years old, including the IKEA furniture. Except the washing machine. I left mine behind when I moved countries, and my new place didn't have one. Got me the cheapest I could buy.

 

[imoldernu]

Oldest appliance in our house is a 63 year old dishwasher. Actually, a multipurpose appliance, also scrubs pots and pans, takes out the trash, and performs a number of other chores on a daily basis.

Know you're wise enough to have taken out a service contract. Replacements are very difficult, and never as good as the original.