Get rid of it. A 16-year-old refrig is so less energy efficient than the new ones. You will save money in the long run. According to our energy website, an old refrig uses 2 to 3 times the amount of energy as a new one. Also factor in the rebate.

Dee

Your fridge *could* die the day after the deadline, but I bet your fridge will be fine for many years to come. Since the rebate appears to be the stimulating factor, if you want to be methodical:

-Start with $200
-Calculate the likely cost savings in electricity per year. Increase your rate by 5% each year if you want to guess at future costs.
-How many years does it take to get to the $800-1000 purchase price? That's your ROI if your fridge would have continued to run.

Since it's a gamble either way, you just have to compare your comfort level with the ROI versus passing up $200 off and see how it feels in your gut. We all have different levels of risk tolerance.

My fridge is 12 years old but has a newer compressor. It was much cheaper to repair than replace. So even if your fridge dies that doesn't mean you'd have to buy a whole new one. Unless you wanted one, of course.

I WISH I had a 16 year old refrigerator! I've had 3 in the last 15 years (not low end either) - I'd not replace it until I had to. I suspect there will be other deals to try to entice people to buy new, but new doesn't last so I think it is a false economy, if not for us, then for the environment. If you figure out all the energy it takes to manufacture a new one and transport it from Mexico where they are almost all made now, plus the cost to the environment of all the toxic materials used in new and that have to be disposed of in old, they should be trying to get us to keep the old ones running, I think.

I would keep it, unless it is showing symptoms of some kind. There will be rebates coming along periodically.

I can't vouch for efficiency but my parents house has one 42 year old fridge without a single service call and one 25 year old fridge that is still working too. A new one is more efficient but there are also the costs in transporting both the new one and old one, and recycling the old one.

Give the 'ole girl a chance. If it works, why add one to the landfill?

Thank you for your opinions. Most of you echoed what I was leaning towards...keeping it. Deeinohio: you are right about the energy efficiency, though: just plugged my info into the energy star website calculator, $66/year to run new unit vs $122 year for mine, on avg.

But even with the additional savings, I have this weird soft spot for cars, appliances and anything else that keeps doggedly working for me year after year. I'm probably one of the last people still using VCRs regularly. We won't even talk about my 8-year old cell phone.

Been burned a few times by spending money to save things that broke again, so my way isn't always smart. But in this case, nothing's broken...yet.

Hey, Kitchennovice44, I'm with you. I've been babying my 24-year-old refrigerator because I don't want to have to replace it right now even though I know it is not energy efficient. My cell phone is 11 years old and works just fine. One of my cars is 15 years old and runs perfectly although it has a few unsightly dings. I just replaced my 10-year-old computer last year but only because I couldn't expand the RAM any more. A friend is still using the monitor, keyboard, speakers and mouse that came with it.

I definitely don't want to be penny wise and pound foolish, but I won't replace something just to get the latest version either.

We had an early 90's fridge that worked but was very small (18 cu ft).

Although our rebate said the fridge must be recycled, there is really no way to check on this unless the delivery people are required to haul it away. We called a charity, I thoroughly cleaned it, and they even picked it up. Someone will get a few more years out of it.

If your fridge does die, you are probably limited to what you can get in-stock quickly unless you have another one in the house.

NO! Get rid of it. I did the same thing and it was a BIG mistake. Now you get to hear how foolish I was.

Had a 12-yr-old fridge that worked and decided during my kitchen reno (like everyone above) to keep it.
Designed kitchen cabinets around it. Less than one year later it broke.

When I went to buy another they were ALL DIFFERENT SIZES!!! I had the choice of only 2 fridges that would fit into the box I had created. :(

Buy the fridge first, design the cabinets around it second. Or I would seriously suggest going into the appliance stores and measuring
ALL the fridges you MIGHT want. Then design a big enough box to fit all different ones. But it might gap around your current model.

If they made all fridges one size, or you don't care about boxing it in, then it wouldn't matter.

gsciencechick: I'd love to donate it, but rebate processing requires proof of recycling/proper disposal via written documentation. Plus county reserves right to inspect onsite at any time. (I know that's a long shot, but it would be just my luck that I'm the 1% flagged!)

biochem101: you weren't foolish at all: you made the best decision you could at the time. If the fridge lasted 10yrs, you'd be patting yourself on the back for being financially smart.

When my electric company offered a deal to pick up & haul away an old fridge plus pay me $35, I took advantage of that to get rid of an old garage fridge. They cut the electric cord off so that it couldn't be used or resold.

The garage fridge was at least 20 years old, had been in the dusty garage for 17 of those years & never had the coils vacuumed. I did not replace it. There hasn't been much, if any difference, in our electric bill. That makes me question all the energy savings you'll supposedly get from a newer model.

And the thought that a new model won't last more than 6-8 years makes me feel ill. So much money, so much waste.

I say keep it and cross you fingers that when it does die a noble death there will be another rebate offer. They do run them frequently.

Keep it! My mom has a frig over 16 yrs old (still going strong). I however, have had 2 refrigerators in the last 12 yrs!?!and they weren't the cheap models. I purchased my last one in 2010, within 3 months the board had to be replaced! (warranty took care of that). This probably is a foreign idea, but refrigerators should last more than 6 yrs!

We went through this last year when our energy provider offered a $50 rebate to take away our old fridge (approx. 20yrs. old). I liked the idea of having a "choice" rather than waiting until it died, then having to rush out & buy whatever was in stock. However, I had no attachment to the old fridge as it was already a hand-me-down from my MIL, so that obviously factored in my decision. We also didn't really upgrade--just a basic no-frills fridge. But the newer ones are definitely easier to clean with removable bins on the doors--(love that, beats having to unload everything off the shelf & try to clean behind the "railing"!) And a light in the freezer--SOOO nice to be able to see what's up there! So it's a personal decision, but not a life-changing one: if you can afford it, I'd go for it...in a year you won't even be thinking about it, just enjoying your new fridge!

My new fridge paid for itself in lower elect. bills. Plus as long as the old one is working, some elect companies will recycle it and give you some money for it. But after it dies..well, it's just a great big paperweight.

Do remember to remove the door from any non-working refrigerator for safety's sake.

I've been struggling with the same thing, my fridg is 17+ years old. Luckily, when I remodeled my kitchen, we made the opening for the fridg larger than my current fridg, since it's really small, so I have room for a larger one.

I replaced my utility room fridge with a rebate. It was at least 15 years old -- maybe 17 or 18.

After the sale price, rebate, free delivery, etc. we got a "stainless" bottom freezer with better use of space, easier cleaning, quieter, a noticable energy savings, a second ice maker (two kids in marching band last year used about 2 gallons of ice cubes per day) for about $500. Doesn't take long for the energy savings and no trips to the store to buy ice for marching season or parties to add up -- and the looks and easier use start immediately. Not to mention what a single fridge and freezer full of food would cost to replace when the fridge stops working on you.

Have you ever had a fridge fire? My parents had a fridge burn in the middle of the night. They were lucky that the fire was contained inside the fridge and the seals were tight, but between that stench (you had to open it to find out there would be no milk or orange juice that morning), the fear of a house fire and having had to throw out full fridge and freezers worth of food after a hurricane, I value more than just the energy savings -- but that's great too.

I love my new fridge, and I'd be sorry I didn't do it sooner, but the price and rebate combination were hard to beat.

My 1985 refrigerator still looks like new and works just fine. We've never had a service call and I only clean the coils about once every 7 years!

I keep waiting for it to die, but so far so good. I am appalled to hear that when I do replace it, I'll be getting something that won't even last ten years. What the heck???

Thanks for the good points for and against. It's the much shorter lifespan of newer models that holds me back the most. (Did find out yesterday it's a $250 rebate, not $200.)

Think I'll pre-register either way. It'll buy me 1-2 weeks to decide and if I don't use, rebate goes to next person on waiting list, so I'm not costing someone a spot.

Lascatx: I never thought about a fridge catching on fire. How awful for your parents.

brendaiinj: how right you are: clearly not a life-changing decision here! I drive myself nuts on dumb things like this, going back and forth, while others would simply buy a new one or ignore rebate and get on w/more impt things in life!

Since mine already has lighted freezer, removable shelves, good space, I'm not lacking for much. But I'm trying to fight my frugal tendencies and be realistic: yes fridges can last 20-25+ years, but what are the odds mine will? Even if I get 2-3 more years, I've never seen a $250 rebate in my area. We don't get many rebates here, especially with the tighter govt budgets. Saw one once for $150...that's it. And the odds of mine conveniently breaking during the next rebate offer?

Have you shopped? Do you have a viable replacement? We have a 20+ year old side by side whirlpool. It tends to freeze things..but over all I am happy. To replace it means fighting the industrial stainless craze (puke) being STUCK with water/ice on the door, getting less cubic feet of fridge space due to "new style" and the space we have to put a fridge in. I opted for waiting until it dies. The trade offs stink.

arcy: mine's a whirlpool too...and it also tends to freeze things. I'd say we have the same model, but mine has ice/water on door, (though ice part hasn't worked in years - we just grab from inside freezer.) You're right about less space...mine is a fairly roomy 26.5 cubic. All the new SxS that are same width/height have 25 or less: what's up w/that?

I decided I could live with the door filtered water. We have to Brita it all anyway due to our well and those filters aren't cheap either. I hate the idea of locking myself into a filter purchase at a store I don't already frequent regularly. Up keep on our lives is getting RIDICULOUS! I just have no use for ice or the space it takes up. It is very upsetting the forced choices. All the new efficiency items and convenience items have a net result of less capacity. We looked at getting rid of an upper cabinet to accommodate a larger appliance, but I have very little storage now. I need a new stove too, but cannot lose the under drawer for pot lids. What a scam that too is half the size it once was. I have no interest in the new freezer on the bottom, but again I am in a minority and it is getting tough to get around it. It is very frustrating to know all due to a 'fridge I may actually get DH to widen the kitchen into the garage by six feet. I know I will stick to whirlpool, I am amazed how this thing is still working. I hope the new ones are as good!!

I'd keep it. I had a 25 year old kenmore that we recycled last year. Never once had a service call on it and it still worked great. The new top of the line that we have had for 5 years is crap. New ice makers aren't worth a darn since they don't know when to turn themselves off. This current one is a replacement for a previous one that we returned to the store for just that reason after 4 calls to get it fixed. They couldn't fix it! This one had the board replaced last year and is exhibiting the same symptoms again. Wish I had kept the old one!!!

I don't understand why anyone would replace a fridge that works well and that they like, unless a kitchen remodel calls for a different size or shape. In the OPs case I would not replace a perfectly good appliance for something that may not work as well.

We have a 22 year old subzero that is going strong and looks great. I won't replace it until this one cannot be repaired, and then with another as much like it as possible.