Anyone ever buy a used washer/dryer machine?

[desura]

A used washer/dryer is roughly half the cost of a brand new unit from the hardware store and carries a 6 month warranty.

Is it a good idea or not?

 

[Red Squirrel]

If you can get to see it and that it's clean I can't see it being a bad thing, especially if it's an older unit with not much electronics. Those are beasts and will last practically forever and are fairly easy to repair. Often it's people who wanted to buy a new fancy one with bells and whistles and not because it did not work well.

On the other hand those newer front load type do look attractive as you can probably wash a full size comforter in them.

 

[Miramonti]

Going rate on craigslist is $200-$300 for the pair, and I've gone that route fairly successfully twice (they are still going strong after ~5 years.) It's obviously a matter of scrutiny before buying as well as good fortune.

A six month warranty is an excellent perk, but not necessarily if it costs twice as much or more than a craigslist unit.

 

[EagleKeeper]

Private party or a repair shop?

Take it from shop. We did that for the first 15 years married, each gave about 5 years worth.

From a private party, insist on a window to return it or test 2. cycles of laundry to listen for funny noises or leaks. Ad well ad spin dry in washer and heat from fryer.

 

[BUTCH1]

Yup, just bought a Maytag dryer last year for $90, works like a champ. A lot depends on how much your going to use it, if you've got 3 kids in the house it might be better to buy new as they will see a lot more usage..

 

[jlee]

I got mine off of Craigslist (some guy refurbs them at his apartment). They work great.

 

[BoomerD]

Yes, over the years, we've bought a couple of used sets...some from appliance dealers, a couple from private sellers. (one from a friend of the family, one from a Craigslist seller)

I've never had a problem with any used set that I bought.
If you buy from a "private seller," make sure you can see them actually run...preferably a full cycle for the washer.

 

[herm0016]

used is great. i got a used dryer for $50 and then blew the rest of the budget on a new washer.

 

[desura]

Okay, so for example, I'm eyeing this:

http://www.appliancedepot.com/appli...yer-electric-front-load-model-mle2000ayw.html

good idea or overpriced?

 

[dr150]

Surprised by the comments.

All I read are horror stories about people buying used appliances on Craigslist (do a contract for future small claims court appearances).

Unfortunately, the new appliances, regardless of price, at Home Depot, etc are engineered to fail versus the 30 year nuclear proof appliances your grandparents had, so if somebody wants to roll the dice on used, caveat emptor...

 

[thedarkwolf]

I bought my washer used about 18 years ago. It has been through 3 rental houses, 1 belt, and 14 years at my current house. One of the legs has rusted off and it looks horrendous but it still works fine. The dryer I got with it I replaced about 12 years ago only because I got offered a newer one for free when my uncle upgraded his. I just gave the old working dryer away for free.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

I've always done fine with 2nd hand appliances. However, I knew a woman who bought a dryer only to find out it was owned by a smoker and it made her entire house reek like an ashtray for weeks after it was gone.

 

[69Mach1]

I bought my washer used 19 years ago when I got divorced. Didn't have any money so I really didn't have a choice. Now I'm just curious how long it will last. Works perfectly still. I would like a newer one just because I'd like to try one of the front loaders, but I won't as long as this one keeps going.

 

[BUTCH1]

I bought my washer used 19 years ago when I got divorced. Didn't have any money so I really didn't have a choice. Now I'm just curious how long it will last. Works perfectly still. I would like a newer one just because I'd like to try one of the front loaders, but I won't as long as this one keeps going.

What brand is it?, I've got a Roper that's probably that old, still works fine. When I bought my house a W/D where left there, the washer was a Crown brand and what I loved about it was during the agitation cycle water was pumped from the bottom of the tub to a filter that sat on top of the agitator so a lot of lint, grass clippings, ect. were caught there instead of being pumped into the sewer line where it can cause cloggage over time. The control switch went bad on it and the part was $80 so I chucked it out, I see now where you can buy a filter that fits on the drain line so I'll probably buy one, what I liked about the in-washer filter is a lot of lint never made it to the dryer and cut down on drying time, here's an example of it in action, I have no idea why this feature is not implemented in newer designs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9ZSbAc3fcg

 

[Raduque]

I've never bought my own washer or dryer. My parents have a 25+ year old dryer that within the past few years stopped working well. It takes two cycles to dry even a small load (say two pairs of jeans and 5/6 shirts) of clothes anymore.

They also have a washer that's 15+ and still going strong, the only problem with it, is the little tab connected to the switch that tells the washer the lid is closed broke off, so I had to substitute a little piece of wood to hold the switch closed.

Racial comment deleted.
admin allisolm


lol, really? I was being PC.

 

[BUTCH1]

I've never bought my own washer or dryer. My parents have a 25+ year old dryer that within the past few years stopped working well. It takes two cycles to dry even a small load (say two pairs of jeans and 5/6 shirts) of clothes anymore.

They also have a washer that's 15+ and still going strong, the only problem with it, is the little tab connected to the switch that tells the washer the lid is closed broke off, so I had to substitute a little piece of wood to hold the switch closed.

You could be looking at a dangerous situation with that dryer, it's very possible that the innards are clogged with lint and it's a fire waiting to happen. Get some tools and take off the back and check it out, (unplug it first of course), all dryers accumulate lint in the airways and sometimes all over the inside they are one of the leading causes of home fires..

 

[Vdubchaos]

As long as you stick to old/well known technology, go for it.

Stay away from "front loaders" etc

 

[theknight571]

You could be looking at a dangerous situation with that dryer, it's very possible that the innards are clogged with lint and it's a fire waiting to happen. Get some tools and take off the back and check it out, (unplug it first of course), all dryers accumulate lint in the airways and sometimes all over the inside they are one of the leading causes of home fires..

I will add.. to make sure to check for lint accumulation all the way from the dryer to the outside vent.

My ex-in-laws dryer was taking forever to dry anything and the 3rd repair guy they called finally found that the problem was not at the dryer but that lint had accumulated at the vent's cap on the roof. (Their dryer vents out through the roof).

 

[BoomerD]

I will add.. to make sure to check for lint accumulation all the way from the dryer to the outside vent.

My ex-in-laws dryer was taking forever to dry anything and the 3rd repair guy they called finally found that the problem was not at the dryer but that lint had accumulated at the vent's cap on the roof. (Their dryer vents out through the roof).

I had to deal with that in a rental house we lived in once. Plugged from where it connected at the wall, all the way to the cap on the roof. Had to drill out the rivets that held the cap in place...then used a vacuum and a long piece of wire to loosen and blow out all the accumulated lint. My roof looked like it had snowed.

 

[Raduque]

You could be looking at a dangerous situation with that dryer, it's very possible that the innards are clogged with lint and it's a fire waiting to happen. Get some tools and take off the back and check it out, (unplug it first of course), all dryers accumulate lint in the airways and sometimes all over the inside they are one of the leading causes of home fires..

We did that about a year back, cleaned the vent in the back, replaced the tube, and used my dad's air compressor to blow out the house vent. It didn't help, the thing's just old, I guess. They replaced both machines about a week ago, I had to drive to Houston to pick the new ones up.

 

[DrPizza]

If you have a lot of estate auctions in your area, you might also want to check them out. A lot of time, old people have taken care of (they're clean) their appliances & don't use them nearly as often as younger families with kids. I've seen excellent sets go for $50/piece. Every once in a while when the price is right, I consider picking up a pair to toss into storage in case I ever have to replace ours.