Need a new clothes washer - does anyone make durable appliances anymore?

Best site I've ever found for appliance reliability is the Yale appliance blog...high volume dealer in the NE that tracks service calls per brand compared to number of units sold and publishes their annual stats. Best front loaders: Whirlpool, LG, Samsung Top loaders: Whirlpool/Maytag (same), and Speed Queen. Something to keep in mind with the Korean brands is if they need parts, you might be SOL for parts and/or service depending on where you live.
 
aquariuscsm said:
I always tell people to buy the simplest model available with no electronic gizmos.
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^THIS. Older models have lower margins than newer ones, generally, and there is little attention paid to reworking them. Maybe that's why my low(ish) end refrigerator and washer, purchased in 1991, are still serving me. Maybe they figure that people who like the latest and greatest stuff don't tend to keep the appliances long enough for them to start breaking down.
 
we have an lg washer and dryer, both have a 10 year warranty on major parts and both have served us well for the last three years. so fa so good.
 
PWMDMD said:
Had a Kenmore Elite He3 front-loading washer and dryer and both lasted 10 years and both pooped the bed within 3 months of each other. I replaced that with a Whirlpool top-loading washer and after 3 years it is shot - needs more work than it would cost to replace it. We do a lot of laundry with three teen boys but three years?

So, I'm looking for your opinions on a durable top loading clothes washer. I'm willing to pay more if it means the thing is not built to be replaced in 3 years. Not a fan of front-loaders and not a fan of Samsung or LG.

I appreciate any comments.
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No,they don't make 'em like they used to but LG followed by Samsung are two of the highest rated machines.

LG seems heavier duty and Samsung a little cheaper.
 
PWMDMD said:
Had a Kenmore Elite He3 front-loading washer and dryer and both lasted 10 years and both pooped the bed within 3 months of each other. I replaced that with a Whirlpool top-loading washer and after 3 years it is shot - needs more work than it would cost to replace it. We do a lot of laundry with three teen boys but three years?

So, I'm looking for your opinions on a durable top loading clothes washer. I'm willing to pay more if it means the thing is not built to be replaced in 3 years. Not a fan of front-loaders and not a fan of Samsung or LG.

I appreciate any comments.
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What year was the Kenmore Elite? I have a front loader Kenmore Elite from 2002 and it's been pretty good. I've had to replace the pump twice and a drain hose that came loose when I made the repair and got a crack in it. Other than that it's been reliable.

The one good thing with whirlpool appliances is that parts are easily available.
 
JC1 said:
What year was the Kenmore Elite? I have a front loader Kenmore Elite from 2002 and it's been pretty good. I've had to replace the pump twice and a drain hose that came loose when I made the repair and got a crack in it. Other than that it's been reliable.

The one good thing with whirlpool appliances is that parts are easily available.
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2007ish. The mechanism the drum rotated on essentially blew up/separated and then a bunch of things were bent. It ran well for the 10 years.
 
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We’ve got a Speed Queen washer and Whirlpool dryer. Thermal fuse blew in the dryer last week, fixed that and good as new. Washer has yet to give us a problem.
 
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In every city is a guy on craigslist selling appliances that he's rebuilt. He'll probably have some older GE, Kenmore, Speed Queen, etc, that will likely last multiples of the time you can expect a modern one to last... And they won't be a water saver unit that takes 2 hours per load and doesn't get your clothes clean.
 
Kenmore is now Electrolux or LG, Whirlpool isn’t what they used to be. GE Appliances is now Haier, and more Chinese creep is happening - Lowe’s is pushing Midea(who owns Toshiba HVAC, Eureka vacuums and a few other things). If you don’t give a **** about water usage, power efficiency and your back, find a older Whirlpool or pre-merger Maytag. At least those have rebuildable gearboxes and analog controls. The new “modular” Whirlpool top loaders suck. Solid state controls but sealed gearbox with a low MTBF.

I only recommend LG and in a pinch, Samsung for front loaders. The European brands seem more appealing on paper and not made in Korea/Vietnam/Thailand, but the price isn’t justified.
 
BMWTurboDzl said:
Even Miele couldn't get the large capacity front loaders reliable. I remember when they pulled that line out of the US.
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Yea, Miele’s machines are much smaller in the US and use a heat pump for drying. Perfect for a “luxury” studio/apartment in Manhattan/San Francisco or a cabin.

Miele’s vacuums rock though. Better than the junk Hoover/Eureka/Shark passes off but be prepared to pay for it.
 
$199 GE Select coupled with a $199 whirlpool estate

Both were bought new over 10 years ago, only repair was a temperature sensor on the dryer that suffered infant mortality just after the 1 year warranty

Never have paid more than $200 on an appliance, expect I never will
 
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