Question

[scubash21]

Hello,

I am now to this forum and I have a question. I am living in Seoul South Korea, and was looking to purchase a stackable washer and dryer combination. I found a used appliance shop here in Seoul that carries many types; American and European used washers and Dryers. I have enclosed here pictures, or a few of the stackable machines that I am interested in, but know too little regarding, if these units would require heavy maintenance / repairs.

The shop owner purchases these units from American military personal that brought them to Korea, and then sells them when they return back to the US. Since these machines are old, parts might be very difficult to obtain, even if ordered from the US. The shop owner told me that he completely over halls the units before selling them, but since he is a Korean, his understanding of refurbishing is different them mine.

The prices for these machines vary from between $ 1,000 to 1,800 which seems quite high for these older machines. Would it be better to just purchase a new Korean ( LG, Samsung ) front loading unit, or try and find just a decent Whirlpool Washing machine only ? Thanks for your help with this question. I have enclosed some pictures here.

 

[wayupnorth]

The middle one in your picture looks like my sisters Maytag stack unit. That was a very good unit though, ran perfect. I personally do not like the all in one setup because if one part dies, its no good without major repairs or replacement. She paid that price for it brand new in the late 80's.

 

[tomturbomatic]

A long distance hello to you!

These machines in the photo have quite a bit of age on them and if they were used by military families, probably a lot of use also. What sort of guarantee is the dealer offering? The Maytags offer standard capacity while the Whirlpool is definitely a compact washer. The Maytags have quite a large footprint with the support for the dryer around the washer. Does the dealer do the delivery & installation? What about parts availability for US-made machines? Do you have enough room for them? Are you washing for just one person or more? You really don't want to have to depend on the Whirlpool for more than one or two for long, although I would trust its mechanical controls longer than I would the Maytags' controls. Are you going to be in your present living situation and using the machines long? These prices are high and I am thinking that you might be better off buying something new. Would a new stacking pair of Korean-made machines cost a lot more than these? If you could be sure that a reputable service tech had really gone over these machines and put them in tip-top operating shape, they would be good machines, but not knowing if anyone serviced them much beyond cleaning them, I would hesitate to sink that much money in them, which is what they sold for new and that was years ago.

 

[combo52]

Best Used Stack Washer-Dryer

The WP on the left would be by far the safest risk but as Tom noted it is 50% smaller in capacity than the MTs. The WP machine pictured is still in production here in the US so it would be the easy one to keep running. But As Tom also noted we do not know enough about you or the appliance situation there to make a diffident recommendation, Welcome to this site.

 

[autowasherfreak]

What brand is the last stack unit, KM/WP?

 

[lebron]

I'd say Maytag, only because the dryer door and washer cabinet look identical to the middle one. The washer lid is different though, so I could be wrong

 

[scubash21]

Thank you all for your input, these units would be used once a week for two persons living at my apartment, the dealer would only offer 30 days, and if needed parts they would have to be ordered from the US. I have looked at Korean made LG, and Samsung machines, but I really don’t like a front loading type. Samsung and LG make top loading machines for export, mainly the US, but you can’t find them here. I think that I might just find a good used toploading American washing machine like WP ( for example see enclosed Craigslist link ) and just use a clothes line for drying. I think These prices are really too high I think, thanks for your suggestions and comments.

http://seoul.craigslist.co.kr/app/2987102806.html