Opinions on this vintage Speed Queen set?

[moderncleveland]

Hi all,

I have an opportunity to buy this vintage Speed Queen set. I love the color! Avocado green would be a nice contrast to the salmon pink walls of our laundry room.

Right now we have a coppertone Maytag set that's good, but has a lot of surface wear. We know we'll have to replace it someday, but I don't want to make the big switch unless I find something that it worth it and will last. Wondering if anyone has had any experience with these models and what they think of them...

 

[gyrafoam]

SNATCH THEM UP!!!
You will likely never have this opportunity again.
I had a washer similar to that one. It resides with Yogitunes now.
Great machine.

 

[yogitunes]

RUN!....don't walk.....

those are 1969ish

stainless steel.....both washer and dryer

washer - banging solenoids, and take note, 3 cycles Normal, Durable Press, and a Soak-Prewash

they look in excellent shape......

keep us posted, if you don't grab them, someone else will!....like me..lol

 

[rp2813]

From what I can tell, the washer has no option for selecting the water level.  Or is that setting hidden somewhere?

 

[yogitunes]

water levels built into the timer/cycle....

Time Fill!

 

[combo52]

Late 60s early 70s SQs

Very cool pair, but unless they are almost unused and in perfect condition they will not make good daily drivers, it is much easier to keep MTs, WPs' KMs and GE FF washers running because these companies keep there designs from this period in production longer and because there are far more parts for these other brands still out there.

 

That said you or someone needs to grab this cool pair.

 

[moderncleveland]

Yes, combo52, they DO seem to be in beautiful shape! Not a mar or a scratch or a ding on the surfaces at all ... the dryer door opens with a very satisfying smooth feeling, as if it's brand new ... the controls all look nice ...

BUT what we need is a daily driver. Our late 60's Maytag set has worked perfect for that, it's just dinged and scratched and may not last forever ... so we're really in a bind here wondering what to do -- we don't really have room for an extra set anywhere. (Hubby dreams of building a big shed with power and plumbing and water lines for a collection of washers and dryers and appliances and vacuums, but that's not happening anytime soon!)

But this set is so beautiful! We're going back to the house sale tomorrow to look at it again. Maybe we can buy some time and figure something out. The sale ends tomorrow and the people want it out!

 

[cfz2882]

woah...

if you don't buy those,someone else here needs to rescue these! As combo52 says,this set might not be the best DD set for someone who is not a washer "gearhead"

 

[akronman]

Hmmm

Where are they, and what's the price?

 

[brucelucenta]

Truthfully, unless you know at least a little about working on them, they probably wouldn't be good daily drivers. They are nice machines and very heavy duty, but they will probably require some regular maintenance and might need parts that are no longer available. Nothing worse than having laundry to do and no machine that works. In all honesty, the only "vintage" machines that I have ever seen that could be used and trusted as daily drivers were Maytags. Even then, you will run into trouble somewhere down the line eventually.

 

[gyrafoam]

Considering the new drek on the market, this pair may prove to be equally reliable in spite of their age. When I first got mine a spin solenoid fried, and, of course, I cleaned the pump. It is a risk, but perhaps it will bide them some time so they don't rush into a deal with newer drek, and they can use a bit of history for a while----- that will do a GREAT job of cleaning their clothes. If they decide to sell, them off they certainly know where to unload them fast! And they can get a NEW SQ set.

 

[goatfarmer]

How much laundry are you doing? 2 people? 27 people? Makes a difference.

 

[mayken4now]

Don't make a mistake. If you should buy them, then by all means. Post on here. There are plenty of folks who can offer advice.

Like Yogi and Gyrafoam says.................. R U N! F A S T!

 

[moderncleveland]

Going back to the house now. Akronman, they're in Westlake. The price is CHEAP!

 

[moderncleveland]

Update!

We just fell in love with this set, so it's been very hard -- yes our Maytags will need replacing someday, but this is a busy time for us and like you guys say it's probably not the best daily driver set, which is what we need. (Maybe come autumn there will be room in the basement for a second set.)

But we can't let this set go. They're just so beautiful! I knew that if some of you guys advised that they'd be a good DD set we'd be hooking them up in our house right now!

Anyway, we went back to the house, they were still there, we were still in love with them, and then we had a great idea: we know another couple who are also retros like us, with all vintage appliances and everything in a vintage house. They got the pink GE oven and range I posted on here last autumn. Well turns out they could use a nice new set of old washer and dryer, and when we sent them the pics they loved this set as much as we did ... SO WE GOT THEM!

This was a win-win situation! The set gets saved and it will be loved and used by retros who appreciate it, plus we'll still get to see it! I expect will post some update pics after they get moved into their new home!

 

[stricklybojack]

.
Way to go!
Love happy endings.