Looking for a vintage washer/dryer in the Savannah, Georgia area

[katemckinnon]

I'd love to find a set of vintage Maytag or Lady Kenmore machines in pink, blue, yellow or some other pretty colour within driving distance of Savannah. I love the machines made in the 1970s especially. Can anyone help? I seem to be drawing a blank in the neighborhood groups, local stores, Ebay, classifieds... making me worried!

 

[jeb]

vintage appliances

Remember you are talking about 50+ year old appliances. These (if you can find them) are not likely to be ready to bring home and use as your main set. They will need work and if you can't do it yourself you will be hard pressed to find someone to work on them, and Parts are becoming harder and harder to find. Collecting (and using) vintage appliances is not for the faint of heart.

 

[qsd-dan]

Collecting (and using) vintage appliances is not for the faint of heart.

 

An understatement for modern times. I use and maintain them, wouldn't have it any other way. However, I would hate to start out this hobby now with the lack of parts availability and the high prices they command. The late 90's - 2010-ish were the good old days and we didn't even know it.

 

[repairguy]

They are definitely still out there hiding but I strongly agree with the two previous comments. I am not one to deter just want you to know what you are getting into. There is a lot of knowledge here in both documents and the experienced folks who have done it before and are very willing to help.

 

[yogitunes]

considering you have never worked on a machine.....

your best bet would be a Maytag Dependable Care set or a Whirlpool/Kenmore Direct Drive set....

modern enough for dependable use, and yet still traditional washing/drying

 

[repairguy]

While not in the neighborhood, a lot of us here would consider a 5 hour road trip to get something we really wanted.

Log in or sign up to view

See posts, photos and more on Facebook.

www.facebook.com

 

[good-shepherd]

Vintage machines in colors are few and far between these days.

You'd have to check Craigslist, Facebook and estate sales on regular basis and be prepared to drive a distance if needed.

White machines can be found more easily depending on the location.

You could also do a request here, some member may have a set they want to go to a good home.

 

[moparman]

Don't let those guys get under your skin and discourage you. #1 they are still out there. #2 parts aren't that hard to find if you know where to look. #3 those guys seem to like to discourage people because, like Pokémon, they gotta collect them all. Check your local yard sales, Facebook yard sale sites, Craigslist. They do pop up. Also check local used appliance shops, garbage haulers, and scrap yards because some people will toss them because they're old and probably think they'renotas good or efficientas the new ones. Best of luck on your endeavor.

 

[qsd-dan]

Don't let those guys get under your skin and discourage you.

 

It's not discouraging words, it's a big dose of reality. There's a huge difference yearning for a set because they're aesthetically appeasing vs the reality of maintaining and repairing them. One <span style="text-decoration: underline;">must</span> have a burning desire the learn how these machines work inside and out, be versed in mechanical and electrical repair, and have the willpower to get dirty, especially at the most inopportune times. When starting out, expect to take a machine apart several times until it works correctly and make lots of adjustments along the way. If you're one to get flustered easy and give up, this is the wrong hobby. With rare machines, expect a project to take years before gathering all of the necessary parts to get it/them up and running correctly. On must also be constantly scouring for parts and storing them. I see too many people owning vintage refrigerators that have no business doing so. You better have the knowledge, inclination, tools, and work ethic of tubokinectic if that's your goal, otherwise, buy new. Most repairmen will not touch older appliances nor track down parts so you're completely on your own. With vintage appliances, you are the warranty work!

[this post was last edited: 6/3/2021-22:37]

 

[maytag85]

Dan pretty much hit the nail on the head in reply #8 which is above this post. You have to have a general idea of how these machines work especially with the Whirlpool belt drive washers like in the photos you posted. Those belt drive washers look complicated but aren’t very complicated since I went through the transmission on my 1963 RCA Whirlpool Imperial Mark XII washer and there’s literally only 7 parts inside the transmission and recently put some fresh gear oil in it as well just to be safe. The only negatives about those machines is the spin is only about 505 to 525 rpm which is slower than most machines these days and you have to lay the machine down to replace the belt or pump or do any other adjustments to it while you are replacing the belt or pump and last but not least is parts availability. You can find certain parts on eBay but won’t find any at appliance stores or parts websites since most of the parts have pretty much dried up and as Dan mentioned the 90’s and 2000’s maybe even early 2010’s were the good old days where you could easily find parts for those machines and Whirlpool stopped making parts for the belt drive washers in the late 90’s sometime since the replacement pump has a date dose of 2-3-98 on the pump and that’s when suspect when Whirlpool stopped making parts for those older belt drive washers and Maytag stopped making parts when they went out of business in 2006.

 

[katemckinnon]

I've always just inherited them with my houses, as I always love to buy midcentury homes, and honestly they have always worked beautifully! I would be happy to pay modern prices for a set in good condition.

 

[good-shepherd]

"Maytag stopped making parts "

Most of the common wear item Maytag parts have been readily available until recently. Whirlpool offered parts for vintage Maytags after they were bought out.

They can still be found now but prices are higher and some have been discontinued.

I'd recommend Maytag for the above reasons plus chances are better to find one that can put into service with a good cleaning and some simple maintenance.

Although you may have to settle for a 1980's to 90's models in white and it could take a while before something decent pops up.

 

[qsd-dan]

Taking a white late 1960's/early 70's set and painting the cabinet a pastel color is a viable option, and for the most part, will look period correct for most Maytag machines and some GE and WP/KM belt drives. You are not just limited to Maytags only. Maytag, GE, and Whirlpool/Kenmore washers and dryers were the "Big 3" back then....just like GM/Chrysler/Ford for vehicles of the same time period. These manufactures basically used the same running gear for 4-5 decades so there's parts floating around for them. Specific parts for some models, like timers and switches can get tricky. Tons of 204499 timers for Maytag TOL 806 washers are always floating around on Ebay (hell, there's one on Ebay right now) as well as the electronic control units for TOL dryers whether 806 HOH or newer 808 SOH models. However, good luck trying to find a timer or dual diaphragm pressure switch for a Maytag 906 washer of the same timer period.

 

1950's and early 60's models also have other limitation besides parts availability, such as small capacity tubs and drums for both the washer and dryer, so that's something else to take in consideration especially if you have kids and expect to wash bedding.

 

[katemckinnon]

Thanks for all of the inputs, and I definitely don't want true antiques. I hope to find machines from the 70s or 80s, and yep I might have to get a white set powdercoated but I think I'll keep my eyes open for an original color. I have a serviceable set of Whirlpool Estate machines here to keep me clean for a while.

Please let me know if anyone spots a set for sale near Savannah, my email is [email protected]. Best!