How old is this Raytheon era SpeedQueen and is it a solid design?

[loctite]

Hiya! Considering picking up this Speed Queen for the low price of $80, but I was wondering where this washer falls on the reliability scale. Reading into the Speed Queen brand I was able to ascertain that this washer must be from the early to mid 1990s but I am seeking more information on how good of a washer this is.

Any help, information, and advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[repairguy]

Looks like it’s an Amana model from ‘97. These were hit or miss and usually had a lot of tub seal and bearing issues.

 

[loctite]

Guess I’ll save my money then… What attracted me was the Speed Queen name and the low price. Was going to get it as a backup because the house came with a GE washer that I’m sure at some point will have to be replaced with a mechanical Speed Queen but looks like I need to hold out for a real Speed Queen.

 

[rp2813]

Good Decision to Avoid This Machine

These actually were real Speed Queen clones but they had problems, particularly with belt failure.  We had a '97 Amana pair for several years and it was on its third belt when we replaced both machines with front loaders.  Never any seal issues or leaks, but the belts weren't so easy to replace.  We wisely purchased a service plan when we bought the machines and extended it after replacing the first belt and having dryer problems as well.