Marked down from $300 to $20
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Not TOL but at least the washer has the big tub, and you can't beat that price even for parts value.
Dan, thanks for the closer look at that agitator. The poor resolution and reflections made it appear to have four slots. It makes much more sense now that both were entry level machines for the time period.
I remember shopping for a new washer with my mom in the mid '70s and seeing that the subject standard tub Maytag washer cost about as much as a nearly TOL, much larger capacity full-featured Kenmore. It was no contest, since a giant tub Snorge was being replaced, and she got 25 years out of the Kenmore. A Maytag could have easily lasted longer, (the Kenmore's final issue was minor but I was out of the country at the time) but the closest Maytag would have been a 606 and even at that the tub would have still been smaller, and it would have also broken the bank.
I remember shopping for a new washer with my mom in the mid '70s and seeing that the subject standard tub Maytag washer cost about as much as a nearly TOL, much larger capacity full-featured Kenmore. It was no contest, since a giant tub Snorge was being replaced, and she got 25 years out of the Kenmore. A Maytag could have easily lasted longer, (the Kenmore's final issue was minor but I was out of the country at the time) but the closest Maytag would have been a 606 and even at that the tub would have still been smaller, and it would have also broken the bank.
Maytags were more pricey but it probably would have been the last washer and dryer set you would need for many decades since there isn’t much to go wrong other than the belts or pump and those are very easy to fix on a Maytag.
Don't overlook another advantage that Sears had to offer - easy credit. I'm not sure when that changed, but I would guess during the 1970's maybe, certainly was less valuable once everyone had either a MC or a Visa or a Discover card. Prior to that, virtually anyone could walk into a Sears and make a major purchase with terms their budget could handle. And, Sears quality wasn't bad either. I think most people would have been willing to acknowledge the higher-than-average quality of Maytag products, but until the days of credit cards the buyer would have had to more than likely have the $$$ to make the purchase.
lawrence
lawrence
Very true. In the late 70s, the only real national stores with credit programs were Sears/Wards/JCPenney...there was no such animal as Home Depot; Lowes was just in and around NC. The utilities were also a possibility, but only the big 3 really had the capability to widely offer credit...retailers of Maytag etc had to "carry their own paper" which wasn't near as extensible as just "say Charge It" at Sears/Wards. Only in the 80s did organizations like GE Capital allow appliance retailers to offload running a credit business
And another thing . . .
Maytag was operating what was basically a fair trade marketing system. I don't recall ever seeing them on sale, and they were the same price everywhere. Sears, Ward's and Penney's would run sales that made their machines even that much more of a value than a Maytag. Well, except for Ward's. They sold Snorge junk and either a Kenpool or a Penpoint was always a better choice for trouble-free operation and longevity compared to any Snorge.
Maytag was operating what was basically a fair trade marketing system. I don't recall ever seeing them on sale, and they were the same price everywhere. Sears, Ward's and Penney's would run sales that made their machines even that much more of a value than a Maytag. Well, except for Ward's. They sold Snorge junk and either a Kenpool or a Penpoint was always a better choice for trouble-free operation and longevity compared to any Snorge.
