<blockquote>Why would a person buy a Maytag when they could just buy a Whirlpool... </blockquote> Because the typical consumer doesn't understand about the mechanicals ... i.e. that the mechanisms are now the same for both brands (and currently or in the past -- Admiral, Amana, Inglis, Estate, Roper, Kenmore, KitchenAid, Kirkland).
A friend has/had an early 2000s Kenmore pair. The dryer originally had the skid-type idler. A problem developed with it, he called for service. The assigned service tech replaced the idler and belt or whatever was involved, explained to him about the skid idler and subsequent revision back to pulley-idler. He was "outraged" and swore he'd never buy another Kenmore appliance. Well, he hasn't. When the washer went down three years ago (I don't know the details of what was the problem with it), he bought a ... ta da! ... Maytag. He didn't recognize that the mechanicals are the same as his previous Kenmore, didn't quite know what to say when I brought that to his attention last year, LOL. He still has the dryer far as I know.