Maytags How expensive were they ??

[rinso]

In 1969, my then wife and I purchased a Maytag A806 Washer and a DG806 gas dryer. Cost of the washer was 469.95 and the dryer was 429.95. Quite a high price in those days, they are both still working flawlessly and show very little aging.

 

[petek]

I know growing up Maytags were considered the cadillac of washers. It probably wasn't until about 1960 that most people even had an automatic washer. According to my mom she was the first in our neighborhood to get one in 1953, a Kenmore frog-eye with sud-saver. She had a kenmore automatic dryer as well but all I remember about it was the ultraviolet lamp inside. The frog eye finally croaked about 1973 just before I left home and she bought another Kenmore that died about 2000. Now she's got a Whirpool because she wanted to support the appliance guy store in her neighborhood.

 

[norgeman]

Maytag washers

I had always heard that Maytags were the very best you could get during the 60's and somewhat in the 70's but in the 80's is when their quality started to fail. They started to live off their name. Another company that followed suite was Speed Queen. Speed Queen washer when they were made by Mc GrawEdison co. were a great washer. But when they were bought by Raytheon corp. they cheaponed them out so bad that they didn't hold up to what they used to be. My Aunt had a Speed Queen that lasted 21 to 22 years and did alot of wash daily, well at least 1 to 2 loads a day. Now she has a G.E. filter flow that she purchased in 1990, one of the last F.Fs. Why can't the manufactorers go back to building washers the way they used to when they were good and lasted at least for 15 to 20 years?

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[bingwsguy]

I have been following this thread since the beginning, enjoying all of the comments and seeing what things cost in the past. I think I posted a response in another thread comparing the "old" Maytag to an "old" Mercedes-Benz. They parallel in styling and engineering....both having a strong, confident presence, and being built to last with little more than routine maintenance. To know that a Maytag washer in 1969 cost $469.95, and today, almost 40 years later can still be purchased for that same amount is sad. In the 80's when the "Conspicuous Consumption" trend became widespread, many companies, not just Maytag, streamlined production methods, but also cut corners with quality of materials to keep costs down in an attempt to allow more people to purchase their products and more often. Unfortunately, many companies believed if they did not "jump on board" they would be out of business by the end of the decade.

The whole "create more jobs to keep the economy going" means building products with shorter life spans, so people will have to buy more often, therefor making it necessary for more people to work to make these products. Slippery slope the country is on I say.(Harp, Harp, Harp) lol

Having been in the Kithcen& Bath and Interor Design field for almost 12 years, I have had a lot of exposure to and experience with appliances, and a lot of clients are putting out $1000.00+ for washing machines. I bet if people were willing to pay $469.95 for a Maytag in 1969 to get a great washer, they would pay $1000.00 today for a Maytag if they were getting the same machine. Just my 2 cents.

 

[MikeS]

When I was a boy, I always wanted my parents to buy Maytag appliances. But Mom and Dad were wedded to Sears, and to be fair, the Kenmores we had over the years were pretty solid. They included a Lady Kenmore washer from the early '60's; a "frog-eye" Kenmore gas dryer my dad bought when I started complaining about hanging up the wash; a "swept back" Kenmore gas dryer that replaced the "frog eye" when it finally broke down; and a BOL two-speed Kenmore my grandfather gave us when he moved into our home for the last year of his life.
I lived in apartments with or without their own washer/dryer sets for years until I finally bought a condo. The builder included a Roper (Whirlpool-made) one-speed washer and a gas dryer. They're still running strong after seven years; never needed a repair. I think the reason is because the Ropers aren't encrusted with geegaws and features that make them more repair-prone. They simply get my laundry clean and dry (I do about three or four loads a week). When (if) the Ropers finally break down, I'll consider a new front-loader. For now, I'll stick with my trusty Roper pair.

 

[rinso]

Erkjoey, That set of Maytags is absolutely beautiful, and very similar to the set I mentioned that I used to own,(and my ex-wife still has) except ours was/is shaded avocado green.

Although I was never a fan of Maytag's wash system and still feel is was a bit anemic, Maytag was tops in reliability and tasteful design.

Other machines of that period had control panels with multi-colored switches, placebo buttons, and were festooned with lettering and logos. They often looked more like a cheap multi-speed blender than a serious laundry machine. Until they entered their quality darkness period, Maytag's machines had beautifully simple, well-designed intuitive control panels. Maytags were a nice relief from machines that had their panels plastered with lettering bemoaning their features. Also, putting the functions on the timer knob and the push buttons instead of placing them all over the panel contributed positively to the quality appearance of the machine. But all good things must come to an end, probably due to cost, and Maytags succumbed to mediocrity by the end of the 1970's.