Post # 1
Member
27 posts
Newbee
So my Fiance and myself are buying a house our first one!! Washers and dryers are expensive!! We have found a few used ones. 1 set is 8months old the other 5years old. obvisouly if we can get the younger one cheaper than we will get it. Anyone have any experiecne buying washer/dryer used? Is this wrong, trashy, etc? They are nice both are frigidare frontloads w/ pedestals . Opinions? With him being the only one working and me in college we are trying to save money where we can. Even though we have a “stash” we really don’t want to empty that out just in case something happens with his job
Post # 3
Member
1747 posts
Bumble bee
@futurenurse: I’ve purchased a washer and dryer off Craigslist. It was almost new, his wife wanted the new front load. I got it for a great price. I have expensive habits but I also know how to save money. It works perfectly and looks new.
Post # 4
Member
3885 posts
Honey bee
I’d be really reluctant to buy any front-loader washer used. It’s really easy to trash the insdes/mechanical bits/rubber bits of the machine without doing any visible damage. Just use non-HE soap and too much of it…. it rots the gaskets and the plastic parts of the various pumps. Since you dont know what the previous owner’s habits were like, you don’t know if they took the right care of the machine, and the front-loading washers are very specific in what kinds of detergent you need to use.
I’d buy a front-loader washer only new. If I were committed to buying a used machine, I’d get a top-loading washer, as they tend to be a little less low-tech and harder to break.
Post # 5
Member
27 posts
Newbee
@Soladylike: Oh I have some really expensive habits as well, but I save money where needed! These peaople are moving and can’t haul them
Post # 6
Member
27 posts
Newbee
@fishbone: I didn’t know about the gasket thing so thanks for that!! I have asked them both if I can see the machines hooked up and see if they run right through full cycles so hopefully the leaks would be detected in this? I thought I had a really good deal the other day I found one with 5years of warrenty remaining but it was already sold boo 🙁
Post # 7
Member
997 posts
Busy bee
We got our washer/dryer used about 4 years ago. We got the set for $100 because something was wrong with the washer. But, we figured out what was wrong and got the partrand repaired it ourselves for about $30. They still work great and I’m so happy I didn’t buy them new.
Post # 8
Member
27 posts
Newbee
@OtterHalf: good to hear anothe rgood story about a used set ! Thank you for th input!!
Post # 9
Member
2889 posts
Sugar bee
I have to say I would never buy a front loader used. I have two friends who did this and both ended sinking major money into them. You really cant detect all the problems just by seeing it run. I would look for a good top loader used. I have bought some in the past and they worked 10+ years. If you like to hang clothes on a clothesline I would stayaway from HE washers as they spin wrinkles into the clothes that take hours to iron out. My new 8hr a week hobby is ironing wahhhhhhaaaaa!
Post # 10
Member
3885 posts
Honey bee
@futurenurse: Seeing if it runs a full cycle is a good test, and should be done on any used appliance purchase, but it would not give you any indication of if those parts were failing, but had not actually failed yet. There are a lot of rubber and plastic parts in a front-loading washer and most of them come in contact with soapy water at some point in the wash cycle. They are all really vulnerable to rotting and even with the best care, will wear out and need to be replaced at some point in time. They’re basically disposable parts, not designed to last for the life of the machine. The use of non-HE detergent /fabric softener at all, and the over-use of HE detergent/fabric softener (i.e. using more than the recomended portion on a regular basis) really speeds up how fast these parts wear out. But unless you take the machine apart and examine all these parts by hand, you won’t easily see where the rot has started.
I’d be totally ok with a used dryer purchase— there’s a lot less that can go wrong with a dryer— but I really wouldn’t risk a used front-loading washer. The repairs can take forever, especially if you buy an extended warranty or buy through a store that requires you to call them to make your repair requests, because they only dispatch a tech to do a “diagnosis” at first. That tech does not carry actual parts on his truck; he comes out to see what’s wrong, then orders the parts, then comes back to install them. So it could be 2-3 weeks before your machine is actually repaired, depending on how long it takes you to get an actual appointment. Plus those parts are not cheap so if you’ve got no warranty, your first repair is going to cost you more than what you save on the purchase price.
Have you considered buying a “new” floor sample from a store like HH Gregg, Sears, Best Buy, etc? (I am no fan of best buy and would not buy an appliance from them again but I know they are everywhere, and just because I had a bad experience doesn’t mean everyone will.) These are pretty much always available, but you might have to ask the salesman to show you which are up for sale. You will have limited selection based on what models they are selling off, you won’t get the box and probably not the manuals (but you can download the manuals online), and it will probably have some scratches or dents. But they have never actually been used, so apart from the dents, that is a brand-new machine. You can usually get these for 30-50% discount off the regular price depending on how scratched up it is.
Post # 11
Member
13094 posts
Honey Beekeeper
I agree with the PPs that I would be wary buying a front loader used. They do have to be properly cared for more so than a top loader and you have no way to know how the previous owner has treated the machine.
I discounted floor model might be a better bet if you want a less expensive way to get a front loader.
@secondchances: Really?? Our front loaders / HE machines don’t put hardly any wrinkles in the clothes. It is a rare day I have to iron anything!
Post # 12
Member
3373 posts
Sugar bee
Ahh I’m obsessed with front loaders. I’m dying to have a set and be able to put a board across the top to make a folding station.