What's the model #?

What is your other option? purchase a 6 yr old fridge as opposed to???

Which KitchenAid unit would have a warranty for more than 6 years?

What does the Extended warranty cover and for how long?

I have a built in KA 42" about 6 years old, but it's a side by side. IDK if 36" comes in that.

What's the model #?

No way would I buy an already 6yo Kitchen Aid floor model fridge. A SubZero, sure. SubZero carries parts for 50+years. All other companies, including Kitchen Aid, stop carrying parts for their appliances after 10 years.

What is the price? I bought a used washer and dryer, speed Queen, $150, sold because the people who bought the home had their pretty frontload w&d and these were white with knobs, no electronics. . .

darbuka: "All other companies, including Kitchen Aid, stop carrying parts for their appliances after 10 years."

Not true: I replaced the defrost components (heating element, thermostat, and timer [only the timer was bad but I did all three while into it]) on my mother's 1995 (both by model number coding, and serial number coding = 12th week of 1995 manufacture date) KitchenAid top-freezer unit in Sept 2024, which makes it 29+ years at the time. Whopping $124.64 incl shipping & tax. WP/KA parts via PartsDr dot com., not after-market items. That's the second repair on it, first was swapping the ice maker (see below).

I have a 1997 KA top-freezer that went to garage-duty in 2005. No repairs other than replacement of the freezer-section light bulb. The ice maker probably would have exhibited problems but it was swapped to my mother's 1995 KA top-freezer some years after garage-duty began ... and there's no water connection for a refrigerator in my garage so the ice maker hadn't been in operation since 1/2005.

@dadoes, partsdoctor is not Kitchen Aid. They’re not even a distributor of Kitchen Aid. They’re just a vendor that purchases parts from various companies. When their supply of an item runs out, and the manufacturer has discontinued said part, the customer is out of luck. Also, reading reviews, their customer service sucks. They often send the wrong part, and won’t send the correct part until you’ve paid to ship the wrong part back. “Customer Service: Opinions are mixed here. While some shoppers get prompt, helpful phone support, others note frustration reaching representatives or resolving complicated order mistakes.”

Compare that to SubZero, who continues to manufacture parts for their appliances for as long as they’re in business. They warehouse their parts on site, and at distributors all over the country. Should my SZ malfunction, I can call SZ directly and describe the issue to a staff member. That person will disgnose the problem, and either send the part out…or, direct me to the nearest distributor, where I can pick up the part myself. I can then call SZ back, and be given instructions on how to install the part. My DH, who has since passed away, did that several times with our first SZ, which was still going strong at 26yo, when we sold that home.

The SZ in the home we moved to, is now over 10yo with not one issue.

There is no comparison to SubZero, in both quality and customer service. That’s a fact.

@darbuka I appreciate your feedback. I understand what is PartsDr, I've ordered from them many times over the course of years, never had a problem. SearsPartsDirect has been the most problematic. I've been involved in appliance repair on/off/on beginning in the mid 1970s when I worked for a local WP dealer, who drove every Thursday in his van to pick up appliances and parts from a WP distribution warehouse in Houston. I went along several times.

Are you saying that PartsDr stocked-up on KA parts between 1995 and 2005 in anticipation of my mother (and other folks) needing those items in 2024?

I just now checked directly at Whirlpool's website, Service & Support section, Find Replacement Parts, Kitchen, Refrigerator, Shop Parts (which directs to Whirlpool Parts dot com), entered the P/Ns of the three KA refrigerator items, and all are available. All are updated P/Ns from the original P/Ns. Would you be calmed if I drove to a WP warehouse somewhere to pick up the items instead of ordering them for delivery from this or that source? Why does it matter from where the parts arrived? They were available in 2024 and still are today in 2026.

Are you aware that WP has an online service portal with a library of parts diagrams and other service info (they've recently added some full service manuals) that consumers can access (without requiring registration)? KA is included, and Maytag back to some point prior to WP's purchase of it (the original Neptune MAH3000 is included, for example). Such DIY info can be found online nowadays for many brands, to varying degrees of comprehensiveness depending on the brand.

I'm thrilled that your experience with SubZero has been wonderful.

Hi again, The back story is that I've been well pleased with my full Kitchen Aid set of appliances that are still in full operation since we built in 2001. Yes, my 48" built in refrigerator/freezer, double oven, cooktop & trash compactor are all still going strong. Well, except our refrigerator/freezer has been over cooling & freezing up for about 4 weeks now. We can empty it out & shut it down for 24 hrs & she'll start working again, for about 3/4 days. We have a wonderful loyal repairman that knows his stuff & any parts when they've been needed are sourced in our state of OH. However, at this time, after 25 years of a great product, we're going to call 'time of death' on our 48" built-in. We hope to remain in our home for another 10 years, so we don't need to purchase a brand new $12,000 replacement.

For the rest of the story ... this is the offer I received for the floor model 36" built-in Kitchen Aid that is being sold as a previous design model:

Hi Judi!

The Refrigerator is still on display at our store, it has never left the store.

The year of manufacture looks like 2020 based on the serial tag.

It sold for $5,499 and it comes with a standard manufacturer warranty, but we can also add on an additional service plan to cover you 4 years bumper to bumper and 10 years on the major components.

The extended service plan, which I HIGHLY recommend would be $440. I would even be willing to take $220 off the price and meet you half way on the warranty so you can have that peace of mind.

Outside of the above, I don't think there is really much of anything else to know. The reviews look good from what I can see.

Thank you so much!

@ dadoes Thank you for re-affirming what I have also experienced with great products & the complete availability of parts & cusomer service with Kitchen Aid. We must have good karma & have been taking good care of our appliances. I'm happy for both of us

@dan1888 & Mary Elizabeth

The model # of the possible purchase in question is KBFN506E

Thanks for your interest in helping me sort this out.

I would do it - we’ve had a built in kitchenaid for about 15 years - had one issue with a computer board, had to get it built but tbh the repair was not bad - ours is paneled so really don’t want to replace, this seems like a great price without overpaying given the length of time you’ll be in the home

KBFN506E isn't quite the full model number, it's missing the color code characters and engineering revision. E in eighth position normally indicates 2015 (or 1996) as the model-year of introduction in WP model coding. AI says this series was "introduced around 2018." It's still shown on KA's website, tagged as "Closeout Deal." The serial is coded for the year and week of factory production. Some models are produced for longer than one year.My mother had a WP wall oven with engineering revision 15 that had been produced for at least 10 years since model introduction.

If you had found a "younger" 48" model to fit in the current 48" hole, it might make sense, but putting a 36" model in that same space doesn't make sense.

I have a PRO style Kitchen Aid range in my showroom from the 1990s! LOL I can't wait to put that range in my home when I retire. I would go for it....but ask for a good discount!

Hi & thanks a for all the help!

@dadoes the KBFN506E is stainless steel

@ The Kitchen Place thanks for your input & goodluck with your 1990's range : )

@chispa it makes since because, as previously mentioned, we are seniors 70 & 80 who hope to be able to stay in our home for 10 more years. The cabinetey around the current 48" will easily allow a transition to the 36". It will then allow a convenient little 14' by 24" built in bench & outdoor shoe storage that will work well by an exterior door.

@La_La. Thank you!

A floor model KitchenAid built-in refrigerator can be a good purchase if it has been properly maintained and the price reflects its age. Before buying, I would recommend checking the compressor performance, cooling temperatures, door seals, ice maker, and any previous service records. Since it's already around 6 years old, an extended warranty could provide extra peace of mind. If any issues come up later, OJ Appliance Repair can help with professional refrigerator diagnostics and repairs.