Used appliance stores

[sillysuds]

good deals or junk? I went to a used appliance store not to far from me, he had all, direct drive kenmore and whirlpool washers no old belt drives. the guy said that they are to old to get parts for. is this true? also his washers have a lot of features on them. his prices are not bad, starting at $75.00 -$175.00 i am thinking about buying from him.

 

[sillysuds]

sorry to post 2 times.

 

[runematic]

Sillysuds, as per the belt drives, there are some parts still available. In my store, I'd never put a WP/Kenmore belt drive on the floor. They're just too damn old (not to mention heavy to deliver compared to more modern TL washers). I couldn't justify the floorspace. They also make the store look old. All of the used stuff on my floor is either white-on-white or almond/almond, etc. Hell, I don't even have any wp/kmore black- or brown-back pieces. I let the other guys in town sell the old junk (no offense to beltdrive fans). I'll sell the newer stuff at the same price.

 

[maytagbear]

It depends a lot on the store,

and also on the use the machine had by its previous owner(s).

My 1997 Maytag Dependable Care pair has had light-to-moderate use, and are in good-to-very good condition.

However, a 2005 anything owned by an abusive person might look great, but be one or two loads from a catastrophic failure.

If the store has been in business a long time, that's a good sign in itself.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[tolivac]

the swap shop in Ayden usually carries both BD and DD washers-prefer the BD ones.Mr Dixon-the man that runs the place is saying BD machines are getting harder to find.If you have 'em-take care of em.

 

[sillysuds]

So hard to find (Belt Drive) Whirlpool/Kenmore.

 

[goatfarmer]

I sell anything that looks decent, and runs good. Belt drives still sell, no problem getting parts. Some I'll sell for $75.00 or so, but when you buy 'em for $5.00, or less, you can still make money.
Gee, I still sell coppertone, harvest gold, avocado appliances. The market is still there.

 

[sillysuds]

Thank's for the words of encouragement,but I wish I could find some in my area.Bob.

 

[goatfarmer]

belt drives

Here's a BD Kenmore set, in New Jersey.

kennyGF

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[goatfarmer]

Here's a Whirlpool set, in PA.

kennyGF

Pardon Our Interruption...

 

[whirlcool]

Jeesh, I have never seen that amount of rust on a washer before! What happened, the owner never wiped off any spills/splashes off of the top of the unit? Since it appears that it isn't rusted through, I imagine you could sand it and have the top repainted. But I wonder what would be lurking on the inside.
At least they have the set priced appropriately!

 

[gansky1]

I've seen this on the last of the belt-drive washers before - notice the lid hinges are no longer the previous design that used two rods that extended through the top and used bumpers on the underside of the top to hold the lid upright when open. I think the little plastic "stops" seemed to put more stress on the finish which evenutally developed tiny cracks and allowed moisture to attack the metal substrate. By this point in the belt-drives, I'm sure the porcelain wasn't quite as heavily applied (if at all on some models) as it was in earlier years.

That "Experienced" Whirlpool set is from the early 70's? Quite a regal and imposing look I always thought.

 

[oxydolfan1]

sillysuds

you may have better luck posting on craigslist

or putting up an ad in the local shopper or supermarket board

in my part of nj, LOADS of senior citizens have old machines

down in the basement, many just never got to tossing them

you'd be surprised how many there are

rents and real estate costs are simply too high, here

a used appliance store cannot make a go of it

last reputable one i knew of, in elizabeth, closed 3 yrs ago

 

[sillysuds]

Thank's for the advice. I went two stores in South Plainfield and Manville. all they had were DD's.

 

[goatfarmer]

It also sez the Whirlpools are 3 speed. A little unusual.....

kennyGF

 

[wannapinkset]

Good for you goatfarmer! We need more people like you.

A used appliance guy in my area has the same mentality as runematic. No offense but I positively hate that way of thinking. I am looking long and hard for a set of frog eye kenmoires and guys like you scrap them everyday. Stupid! The Frigidaire 1 18s beat anything white or almond in your store and thats a stone fact. You can get parts for them everyday, all day long.

Old isnt bad and the new machines are high priced junk. Older is better in most things. They were built to last, and people took their jobs seriously and were dedicated to quality. The same cannot be said today.

 

[tolivac]

I would say-if you are a thrift store operator-PUT OUT THOSE BD'S for sale-there are always folks that can use them-scrapping them is stupid and wasteful.If the machine works or can be fixed-FIND IT A HOME-better fate than the krusher.Some appliance thrift places-"the older-the lower the price" as one did in this area.He even has a couple of laudramat machines for sale-A Maytag and an "Amana" SQ.Those are in his "bargain" area.

 

[runematic]

wannapinkset, come on. Firstly, if a frog-eyed Kenmore pair came in, it wouldn't be scrapped. I'd definitely save something like that. Secondly, why would I want to make a space on my floor for a 25-30 year old machine when no one comes in for something that old. Sure, I could wait a year or two for the one vintage appliance person, but it doesn't make good business sense or financial sense. Believe me, I'm into historical preservation, whether it be an old building (mine's from the 1870's), a relic (see some of my 1700's era PA German Stoveplates that are rusted/burned in half, where some see no value), or a rare early appliance. I do not feel bad when I send a 1970's WP beltdrive, Frigidaire, you name it, to the crusher. I can't save everything or wait for the one person to walk through my door. I'm sorry, but that's really the way it is. Look at it this way, for every beltdrive I junk, it makes the remaining ones rarer & more valuable. LOL.

 

[wannapinkset]

Im not the only one that thinks sending them to the crusher is stupid.

They are already a limited item in number. You making them less daily is only contributing to the idiot that thinks asking 2000.00 for a set of pink vintage Maytags ok. Its stupid. Belt drives work forever. Why throw away something that actually works? A novelty in todays onslaught of garbage produced.

Sell them. There is a market. Sell them for 20.00. This site and its growing numbers should be proof enough. A clasic is a clasic, be it building, a car or an appliance.