Hi Andy,
It certainly is a lot of repairs, but bear in mind they do have 3 kids under 6 so they have a LOT of washing to do.
I don't collect washing machines - I don't have the room. I have a Miele W562 washing machine that I absolutely wouldn't part with. My only grumble about it is that it only does 2 rinses as standard and you have to select "Water Plus" to get 3. Other than that, it's near perfect. I have had a fair amount of experience of using both modern and vintage machines over the years though.
In terms of modern machines, you'd be safe with Miele, Bosch/Siemens and AEG. The higher end Beko machines are proving to be very high performing machines, especially the 9kg model with the chrome door (linked). I've heard a lot of good things about the new Hotpoint range with the round doors, but of course, cannot yet comment on reliability. They do feel a lot more solid than the last series though. LG are also a good contender.
Of course, what's right for one user might not be right for someone else. It all depends on what you want in terms of drum capacity, spin speed, cycle length, load options and how much you want to spend etc. But if I had to go out tomorrow and buy a new machine, Miele aside, I'd happilly own the Beko in the link I attached.
The one thing I will say, is avoid Hoover/Candy machines. I've seen nothing but poor reviews on them and it's not uncommon for machines to be written off after 18 months with bearing failure.