Well determining your needs is a good place to start. Do you need a brand new one, or would a good brand used one in good condition work? For instance, my mom has a Roper. It's a plain old regular top loader. Its 15 years old and still works great. It only needed those plastic gears replaced in the agitator, which we were able to pull off a junked kenmore machine for nothing.

Once you determine your exact needs out of a washer there are many things you can do. You can check reviews for washing machines at consumer reports. Ask family and friends about their machines, how long they have had them and their performance. If you see a make and model of machine you like, do extensive internet searches on it and see how other owners view that particular machine. You can also come here and other websites and ask other posters' opinions about a particular machine. You are bound to find at least one or two people who have the same machine or one similiar.

I hope this helps at least a little.

jbgriffingate,

What is the model # of the machine in question?