POD 5/22/11 1959 NORGE Dispensomat AWW 502

[tomturbomatic]

In 1959 this washer had a list price of $400.00. The matching dryer ED500 listed for $270.00. The Norge combo, WD600 had a list price of $440.00.

$400 was the list price of a Maytag 142S as it was for most all TOL washers with a Suds saver.

 

[golittlesport]

adjusted for inflation

That Norge would have cost $2,957 in today's dollars (adjusted for inflation.)

Makes one realize how cheap today's disposable appliances are.

I was in Best Buy yesterday and they had a Frigidaire 3.5 front loader for $399. Doing reverse inflation, that would have cost $53 in 1959.

 

[akronman]

pricing back then

What would a Whirlpool TOL have cost, an Imperial Mark XII, or a Lady Kenmore?
Thanks

 

[tomturbomatic]

As I stated, most all of the TOL washers were around $400, but there were lots of sales and many appliance stores still offered "trade in allowances" to lower the purchase price. My parents got a "deal" on our 58 Lady in the fall of 58 because it was green (porcelain) and that pastel color was being phased out because yellow and pink were more popular. Sears did not take trade ins so my parents put an ad somewhere and sold our waterfall front Kenmore for 25 or 50 dollars. Daddy spray painted it to improve its looks and I think when we moved out of the house 9 years later there was still a faint bit of white overspray in the shape of the machine that escaped the newspapers on the basement floor. A lady on my paper route, a retired military woman had a house with turquoise GE builtins and she had the great big honking 33" wide LK combo in green just inside the door to her kitchen from her carport. I used to always go to that door to collect. If you have never been in a kitchen with one of those running, you have no idea about noise, none whatsoever. She had a white 1961 Plymouth Fury with the tail lights sticking out to the side of the rear fenders and that wide metalic strip down the center of the trunk. If she had lived longer, I might have summoned the nerve to ask her if I could watch the combo sometime. I had to wait about 3 or 4 years for an opportunity. She was lucky. She dropped dead of a heart attack in her kitchen one morning.

 

[combo52]

PRICE ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION

It goes to show what a good deal todays new machines really are. I cannot imagine any new FL or TL energy star washer sold today that would not outlast a late 1950s Norge washer by at least 2 to 1. Early Norge automatic washers only had a 3-8 year life span in spite of the relatively high cost of automatic washers at the time. And I dare say that most of these automatics were repaired a few times before they were pushed out the door. I have an old Rate-Master book that gives suggested repair labor costs for different brands of machines and different repairs. The suggested total house call and labor cost to change the transmission in an early Norge washer in 1960 was only $15.00, if you include the cost of a brand new transmission the repair would cost under $60.00 and most times they would even repair the old transmission rather than put in a complete unit.

 

Very very few 1950s automatic washers were still running by he end of the 1960s, however the 1960s washers faired much better and so on with 1970s machines and on through today. Automatic washers today are at thier lowest service rate than at any time in thier 72 year history. 

 

 

 

[maytagbear]

The Norge in the POD-

had one very advanced feature.....the clock, which allowed for delayed starting. That is the only feature of the thing that appeals to me.

Here is a link to my favourite inflation calculator, but I am also going to put it here in text, as well.

westegg.com/inflation

Lawrence/Maytagbear

http://westegg.com/inflation

 

[spiralator60]

Norge Dispensomat AWW 502

Tom,

 

Did any of the advertisements for this model say anything about the Timeline feature, specifically the status bar next to the control knob? Thanks.

 

[tomturbomatic]

The ABC-O-Matic had a clock, too. Do any of you have any knowledge on how popular off-peak electric rates were in the late 50s for water heating? I remember my father telling me that when they moved to Grand Ridge, IL, in the early 50s the house had oil heat and no natural gas service. They tried to reduce the electric bill by getting a suds saver washer and trying off peak water heating, but if any laundry was done in those days of warm rinses, even though I would stand on a stool and hold a hose to add cold water to the rinse fill, there would be no hot water by evening As soon as gas service was introduced to the community, daddy had it run to the house.

Given the absence of clocks on washers, I'm wondering if people did not use the off peak rates or if they just stayed up late and did laundry while the heater was operating or if there was another solution. Thanks