Took a gamble on a used Whirlpool washer off Craigslist for $150

Had a Kenmore that finally gave out after 12 years, so I rolled the dice on this Whirlpool from a guy in Tacoma. Turned out the main control board was fried, and I spent another $80 on a used replacement board off eBay. Got it running again, but man, I keep wondering if I should've just bought new. Anyone else ever luck out with a used machine or is it always a headache?

2 comments

2 Comments

sage_dixon1d ago

Honestly, that "rolled the dice" part is exactly how I feel every time I buy used appliances. I've been down that road three times now and it's always a gamble. My buddy scored a dryer for $50 that's run like a champ for 5 years, but my experience was more like yours with the control board headache. The thing is, even with the extra $80, you're still at $230 total which is way less than a new machine nowadays. The real trick is knowing which models are worth fixing and which ones are just junk in a fancy box. If it keeps running for another 4 or 5 years, you definitely came out ahead even with the headache of swapping that board.

sagew501d ago

@sage_dixon hit the nail on the head about knowing which models are worth saving. That Whirlpool you got, even with the board swap, is STILL a solid deal if it was a direct drive model or something built before 2015. Those old ones are tanks once you get them dialed in. I had a similar gamble with a fridge where the compressor was shot, but after a $50 part swap it ran for another 8 years. The real pain is when you spend all that time fixing something and it dies again in a year. At $230 total you're way ahead of the game compared to dropping $600 on a new one that might only last 6 years these days.