We finally bought a washing machine. We were trying to get a washer before the deadline for the rebate which was last Wednesday. We decided against the top loaders, because we heard too many comments from people that the clothes come out tangled and wrinkled. Since we line dry a lot of clothes and did not want to add a lot more ironing, that was a drawback for us. Then we heard enough comments that the top loaders didn't wash as well as the front loaders and we thought clean clothes was the whole point, so we started leaning toward FLs. We considered the fact that the front loaders have been around longer and have had more time to work out the kinks. The issue of back problems and front loaders was easy enough to solve by getting a pedestal. And actually, if both front loaders are on pedestals, that should allow for minimal bending, I would think. As much as we didn't want to have to spend that extra money, I think it will work out better this way. I hope...lol.


We were originally looking at the Whirlpools and Maytags because CReports recommended them highly, but we thought $700. was enough to have to spend on a machine. There weren't any available. We looked for the 9500 model that was recommended by CR and considered spending the $1,000. for it but not feeling good about it, but that was also not available. We really felt stuck.

We always want to go with the machine that offers the most dependability, that is not going to give us a lot of grief, but really, there was no standout. They all had tons of bad reviews. After awhile, the bad reviews online were canceling out the good reviews. It seemed luck could be a factor in who ended up with a good machine and who didn't. In the end, looking at CR, they do an annual survey, that they send out to 200,000 people asking for information on whether their machines had to be repaired. Then they rank the Brands by how much of a percentage of people reported problems with repairs. The highest repair percentage was 13% or there abouts and there was not more than 2% points between the different companies. So although there are many people who rave about one company over another, and lots of horror stories, it seems that a good 80% of people didn't have to have repairs from any of the companies.

The one exception to using this criteria for basing a decision on was the Kenmores. They are highly rated in Consumer Reports. But people report horrible customer service and repair service and that worried us too much to take a chance on them. We didn't want to be stuck with that.

Once we figured that out, we felt more comfortable to let go of having to have a Whirlpool or a Maytag. Maytag has come out with a 10 yr warranty on motor and washing basket, but it's on the new machines that are over $1,000. That is before pedestals or extended warranties. So I started checking out other brands. I looked at the Consumer Reports article again and I noticed that once I put away my tunnel vision, there was a Frigidaire washer that was a consumer reports best buy for $650. We don't normally buy Frigidaire. It was not the huge capacity but any capacity is larger than what we have now. They offer two kinds of pedestals, one with a draw that is only $229. and one without that is $150. So that kept the cost down on that.

In the end, since our main concern was ending up with repair problems and/or horrible repair experiences, we tried to cover our bases, by #1, purchasing from a local company that we have had very good experience with in the past, who we know are very good at repairs. And #2 we decided to get the extended warranty. One plus with this company we bought from, is if you buy the extended warranty and don't have to use it, they will refund the money at the end of it in the form of a credit that can be used toward another purchase.

So that's the story. I hope we don't have a problem but we feel we could have had a problem no matter which company we went with. And if we do have a problem, we should be reasonably okay, since our local company will be doing the repairs. And if we end up with a lemon, well at least we spent $650 on it and not $1,000.

Bottom Line, I wish they would make better and less expensive machines. Our old Maytag was 25 years old and never had a repair. You would think they could improve on that record instead of getting worse.

I thought our experiences might help someone else shopping for a machine and feeling stuck, so I posted, but I hope if someone has a horror story about Frigidaire washers, they won't tell me about it. [g] Ours is already on the way and might as well feel good about it for as long as we can. lol