There are some items I will not buy used. Such as:
- Shoes (won’t fit right; not good for the feet)
- Underwear (self explanatory)
- Hats (unless I know and love the head it’s been on)
- Make-Up (although I don’t usually wear it anyway)
I’m sure there are items you would add to the list. Matresses, cribs, car seats – there are many items that are worth buying new. Sometimes, it’s even worth paying more for an item so that you can be sure you’re getting good quality, thus saving money in the long run.
But let me share our family’s experiences with buying used appliances…
Over the weekend, within about one hour, both our washing machine and our dishwasher quit working. Ain’t nobody got time for that. Matt was able to fix the dishwasher himself. But the washing machine? Well, it was many years old, on its last leg, and a bungee cord was the only thing that had kept it from falling apart since June 2012. Matt gave it a good shot, trying to keep it alive just a little bit longer, but in the end, he met me with the question, “You ready to go shopping for a new washing machine?”
So, go shopping we did. We were met at the door of our locally owned appliance store and shown wonderful, beautiful, shiny new washing machines. We were given all the details about their bells and whistles, and were provided with many convincing reasons for why we should buy the top of the line (especially with our four active boys).
They sounded great, actually. But the price tags? Ouch. Thankfully we have a line item in our budget for spur of the moment necessity purchases. But did we really need to spend that much on a fancy appliance, or would a less than the best still do the trick for us?
We really wrestled with this. When is it important to buy high quality, and when is it okay to go with a lower quality, lesser price? Ugh, and we really needed to make the decision quickly, as the laundry was piling up at home as we stood in the middle of the forest of washers and dryers. Our heads feeling as though they were in spin cycle. <— Clever, huh? I thought of that one all by myself.
Before looking much harder at the new washing machines, we asked to be taken to the back to see the used appliances they had on hand. This store has come through for us many times with their used items. Remember my used upright freezers?
Ugly though they are, they serve their purpose and sit in our storage room where no one can see them.
We were happy to pay a huge discount because they were used and ugly.
They’ve worked great for years!
One used washing machine really caught our attention. It was everything we really needed, much of what we wanted, and because it was a few years old, it was less than 1/5 of the price of the brand new ones. We asked question after question, we grilled them about what might be wrong with it, we stuck our heads in and looked for whatever people look for when they stick their heads inside a washing machine.
We listened again to the spiel trying to influence us to buy the new washer which was five times more expensive. We went home, we prayed, we looked at all the dirty laundry. We quickly came to the decision that the used washer was really all we needed. Writing the check for that was barely even painful. We got such a great deal! It was delivered and installed the next day.
Introducing, the newest member of the Coppinger Team:
A few years old, a couple of scratches, and if you look real close, you’ll see my reflection since I was the one taking the picture. That came free with purchase.
We’ve given this washing machine quite a workout since it arrived, and it’s done great. Did we make the right decision? Oh yes, we definitely did. Even if it only has a few years of life left, we believe the amount of money we saved compared to buying new is still very worth it. And now, we have money left in our budget for any other last minute necessities. (Oh but please, no more appliances for a while.)
What has been your experience with buying used appliances? Is there anything you feel strongly about that should always be bought new?
Our washer was out of service a few weeks ago, and after looking at the price of the part we decided to look for a used one. We found a nice front load washer on craigslist, so we went to look at. Once there the inside was smaller than mine, being a family of seven I wasn’t for sure about it. So I told the man I just wasn’t sure about it and my husband asked what the lowest he would take and he dropped it by half! We only paid $75 for it and it works great! We decided to go ahead and fix our other so now we have two running washers!
We have bought several used appliances over the years. Washers and dryers, freezer. Have always had good luck. We buy our cars the same way. We have found that we can buy a “fancier” model that is a few years old, but with plenty of life left. I would never add heated seats to the price of a new car, but toasty buns are a very nice perk : )
I love used!! We just recently moved and had to replace a wall oven (those things are expensive!!) and get a riding mower (for our much bigger yard). I found both on Craig’s List. And in the past few years I’ve bought 2 used deep freezers on CL as well, and they are still running beautifully!
Our 40 year old dryer died last year, so did our 20 year old washing machine. The appliance man told us they don’t make appliances that last that long anymore so we found used, old appliances that weren’t used that much and bought them. We wanted appliances that lasted, not the cheap, expensive ones they sell today.
All appliances in our house were bought used or given to us — stove, fridge, washer/dryer, freezer, wood stove. When we bought our house 1.5 years ago, it needed a washer/dryer…a stocked one. We found it on Craigs List, only a few years old and works great!
We had out washer go out 4 years ago and we also were having a hard time with new prices. We found one at an estate sale.. Olive green. It was half price day so we paid $37.50 and it’s still going strong!!
We bought a nearly new upright freezer off Craigslist for a fraction of the cost of a new one. We also have a used dryer that a friend gave us. Our TV and DVD player is used also, along with many other items in our house. Best way to go.
My husband is an electrician so he pays attention to that somewhat hidden cost of electricity. Newer freezers can be considerably more efficient especially. Overall I agree with looking at used, and this washer looks great, but we have an old dog of a freezer sitting unplugged in our garage because the cost to run it is more than we are willing to spend when it really was just extra space we could live without. But this is more pronounced now that we live in the country and the cost of electricity is higher.
I like the dented or oh I changed my mind part of Lowe’s :) We got a washer there several years ago now…with a big barrel :) Still has knobs, as I do not like all the digital/touch screen ones. I’m afraid if it goes out, it’d be wayyy too much to fix!
I’ll buy just about anything used. Except underwear/swimwear, that’s just a little too far in my mind.
Ten years ago our washing machine broke down and we bought a used one to replace it. Last year, and again this week, we had to get it worked on at minimal cost. Right now, it’s working again just fine. I’ve done five loads in the last two days and the machine is humming right along! I’m totally satisfied with this machine, and in spite of the encouragement of friends to go ahead and get a New washing machine, I have no intention of doing so. When the time comes, I’m going to shop for another good used one before I consider a new one. And many of our major appliances are used, and have been holding up well for years!
When I divorced and moved out into a rental home, I had to acquire a washer/dryer. Luckily, the former tenant passed away, and his DD was holding an estate sale. She sold me the 2 year old, GE set for $200. We both were happy-she didn’t have to move it out, and I was thrilled with the price.
Fast forward and I had to replace my econo car about 6 months before I had planned on doing so. I ended up buying a used Prius with only 20,000 miles on it, and it is 4 years old! I saved significant $ buying used, and plan on keeping it 5-6 years.
Alot of what we own, furnishing wise is used. Better quality and much better prices.
Carol in CT
CTonabudget.blogspot.com
Our go-to place for appliances is the clearance section at Nebraska Furniture Mart. I’m a little leary of Craigslist these days and whatever problems I might be inheriting from strangers. So far, we’ve bought a washer and an oven at great discounts. The washer was returned by a customer because of a broken hose (which was fixed before going to the clearance section). We’ve had it for over 6 years now and still works great! The oven was special ordered by someone, but it turned out to be the wrong size. We would have had to special order as well, but lucked out with the clearance one! Unused, but still deeply discounted! (And there’s room to negotiate, which we did.) Always worth checking out if your local store has a used or clearance section. Oh, and I did buy a used toaster oven from someone I knew for $7 just after pricing some out for $70-$100. Got to love when God cares even about the little things and provides!
As my husband would say, the home repair trifecta is in play. Gotta say, I’m curious what your #3 will be (we had the garage door, hot water heater, and dishwasher all in the same month one year).
I got my stove and ice box going on 16 years still going strong. Freezer 18 years still going strong. My washer and dryer last for about 12 years and went out new. Next time I will get used because by then it will be my hubby and me.
We bought a used fridge off Craig’s list one time… The guy delivered it and we cleaned it all up… Once we moved it into place a GIANT rat came out of it….. And he had a big family with him. We freaked out!!!!!
Even with that experience we still buy used to save money… We’ve found some amazing deals!! And a couple bad experiences too… But I guess it’s part of the journey :)
One thing to consider though is the energy savings when buying new. Our 25 year old refrigerator in the garage was costing us $30 a month in electricity. We were shocked to see an immediate drop in our power bill when it died. We could have paid for a new one many times over by replacing it just in energy savings. I suspect that our 22 year old freezer is costing us the same way.
FYI. Front loading washers tend to mold and/or smell if you don’t leave the door open until the interior has a chance to dry. I always leave my door open between loads and haven’t had any problem with mold or odor.