Vintage Stainless steel KitchenAid Superba by Hobart Dishwasher - $200 (bloomfield hills)

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contacted seller

I just joined this group tonight because I'm trying to find a vintage Kitchenaid dishwasher. I'm in the Detroit area and I saw his ad. I contacted him last night. It's still available, it's in his garage (MICE!) and he doesn't even know if it works because it wasn't hooked up when they moved in. Is there a fair price to take a chance on it? I am not a repair person. Just a mom sick of wimpy current dishwashers. Longing for that old power. Would love you all to advise.
Thank you so much for any help and recommendations.
 
Since no one else is stepping up

..and, right off the bat, I have no idea what a fair price is to take a chance on it, since that depends on your budget -- but some thoughts.

We had that dishwasher when I was a kid. It is noisy and has to be loaded so as not to block the spray from the one wash arm, but it will get the job done. A lot of people here love them.

There are some threads on the board about repair of older KA dishwashers. One link is below.

Generally, it seems that people have a hard time finding any repair person to work on machines this old. Also, you won't be able to order very many parts, if any, off the shelf.

So, unless you want to take a risk that it will work with no issues, you might look for somewhat newer, lightly used machines that you can get a service man for if needed.

 
this KA or this other GE

Wow, this is rather scary. There is also this vintage ge available just over an hour from me. But I read on another thread here that they were less reliable. If I were to choose which would be the better choice? Also, to add to the mix, I looked at a KDS 15 yesterday. They don't know if it works. Same story: ripped it out before they moved in the house. But it passed inspection. It looked good but she wouldn't take a penny less than $100. I thought that was a lot for a dishwasher that may be broken and would be impossible to get parts and service for. So....what do the experts here say.
Thanks so much. I have learned so much already from this group. Makes me want to go learn how to be an appliance repair gal just so I can keep myself in vintage appliances. The link for the vintage ge is below. There is also a thread on here about it but i don't know how to pull that up for you.

 
Hi Mom!

Couldn't resist saying that!

I own a KitchenAid KDS-55, which is the portable version of the KDS-15. I have a few tips:

- These are somewhat harder to find certain parts for than later machines, it is true. But parts are not unobtainium. If you want to use one of these machines, it can be done.

- Later machines have some refinements in the racking system that you would probably find appealing - more adjustability, etc.

- $100 is not out of the question for a machine that is in really good shape, meaning working, no rust in the sump (the depression in the middle of the floor where the wash arm and filter are located), and no leaks. It is out of the question for a machine with a problem or two, because you'll spend a fair amount of money fixing it. Rust in the sump is Not. Good. and I personally would pass the machine up, though there are folks here who have fought sump rust and won.

- The KDS-15 is one of the very few appliances that has EVERY item of sales and service literature available on AW.org's sister site, Automatic Ephemera. The sales brochure, the installation instructions, the owner's manual, the complete parts list and the technician's service manual (the same one issued to Hobart techs back when these machines were new) are all available for download at a modest cost per item. Highly recommended. Other machines also have most literature available.

- The KDS-16 in the Craigslist ad represents a significant advance over the KDS-15. I just happen to love 15-series machines.

- Whatever vintage KitchenAid you choose, you will have to learn self-reliance when it comes to repairs. You've already learned that regular appliance repair people don't want to fool with them. People here on AW.org will help any way they can, and trust me - they can. You really need to get a service manual and a parts list for whichever KA you end up with from Automatic Ephemera. Go to www.automatice.org and look up "KitchenAid"; you'll probably find what you need there.

Hope something in here helps.
 
gonna do it!

Well, wish me luck, fellas. I'm going out to have a look-see tomorrow night on the stainless kds 16. If I do get it the 1st thing I'm going to do is download all the materials on this site. Well, that's actually the 2nd thing I'll do. The 1st would be to come here, do a happy dance, and celebrate my new baby. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. The hubs is, lets just say, a might less enthusiastic about my love for vintage appliances. I think it almost disappoints him that my 1953 Frigidaire range and my little pink 1957 ge fridge chug along so much more faithfully than any other appliances we've ever owned. And that's saying a lot. Thanks again for all the wisdom. I'm going to need it. :)
 
I like this gal!

Wishing you loads of luck. Now that you had to bring the range and frige into the conversation, you know you'll have to show off some pics when you can. Even better, hopefully pics including the 16 where it belongs!

Welcome!

RCD
 
Lisa:

I wish you well with acquiring the KDS-16 and putting it back into service. Whatever happens when you get the machine home, don't despair. We have a member here whose screen name is stevet; he knows stuff about vintage KitchenAids that the manufacturer doesn't even remember. He's also very knowledgeable about parts sources.

So far as hubs is concerned, there's many a man who would be thrilled to be married to someone who is happy with things that are still working well even if they're not new - and who's willing to do her own wrenching if they give a bit of trouble! He'll come around, trust me.

Again, good luck, and please keep us posted on your adventures. Because you are going to have adventures, LOL.
 
I Got It!!!

I'm so excited. I took the advise above and I sheepishly offered him $50 saying I was afraid I would't be able to find parts or service for it if it didn't work. He actually agreed quite quickly and eagerly just to get it out of his garage. I was so surprised. So I picked it up tonight because we're getting another 3-6" of snow on top of the who-knows-how-many-feet we already have on the ground.

And, I gotta say, she's even more beautiful in real life than she is in the pictures. It was dark out but even in just the light of the garage she was a shining away there. He even had all the original paperwork from the original owners with it. A big envelope called "Owner's literature" which included owners manual, instruction sheet for switching out the front panels, pamphlet about the dishwashers and other kitchenaid appliances available for that year, service contract (which, interestingly, is with "General Electric Co. Michigan District")and a little gold card written to "the plumber who installs this unit" from Hobart about how to hook it up.

I can't wait to get her in place. Before I do that I have to remove the one I have in there. Now that is another story. Sad one, not in the mood for it now. But the only question left for the night is: What should I name her?
All of my vintage babies have names. My fridge is Flossie, My Electric range is Fannie, My gas range is Aunt Tilly, my wringer washer is Bertie, etc. Right now I have it narrowed down to either "Kitty" or "Miss Kay". I like Kitty a lot but we do have cats so confusion is inevitable. So it will probably end up being Miss Kay. I just think that "Kitty the Kitchenaid" just rolls off the tongue so nicely. I kinda thought "Sassy" might be a contender, too. A Sassy 16." You know she's gonna be loud and she's mighty uppity looking in that shiny stainless steel coat. We'll see if she cops a 'tude.

Thank you , thank you, thank you so much, guys. I need to have one of my kids take pictures and put them up. I am a true dinosaur. No smart phone, no texting. But I gotta show you all this. Good night all
 
Lisa, Welcome and congratulations on a great score!

Hope all checks out well with "Miss Kay" once you get her installed and that there aren't any issues with her. But as Sandy mentioned earlier, SteveT is your go to expert for any concerns you may have about Miss Kay.

You could not have found a better site to find out information and share your joy in owning vintage appliances. The people on this site are a phenomenal group and are always willing to help out with whatever you need to know.

By all means, when you get the chance the gang here would love to see some pictures of all your girls.

And lastly, you are a "Mom of 11"? You must be one busy woman! Kudos to you.

Have Yourself a Great Day!
Rick
 
Congratulations!

I'm so glad you closed the deal, and I'm impressed that you got the price down so far. Way to go!

As you say, the thing to do now is to get the old one out and this one in. I have a suggestion, one born of experience:

Take your time. If there is something going on in your life that needs the kitchen (family reunion, kid's birthday party, etc.), put this new goodie aside until afterward. Don't impose a deadline and then drive yourself crazy trying to meet it if the dishwasher has an issue or two. That's when parts break, bad decisions get made and family tensions rise.

If you'll take your time, you'll do it right. You'll also have plenty of time to consult with the experts here if issues come up.

Again, congratulations, and we'll want to hear how it all goes.
 
Miss Kay is in!

Well, the whiney old girl is whirring away now. Everything seems to be working just fine. There is just one little bit of moisture, literally 4 or 5 drops throughout the whole regular cycle, coming from the yellow plastic square piece where the water intake connection is. It is absolutely not the intake valve at all. From the area behind the 4 screws on the brass on yellow box thingy.

It really was so very little that if it only does 4 drops per cycle should I mess with it? The dishes were really clean but a little musty smelling from the machine sitting unused for who knows how long.

I'm trying to add a picture here but I am not great at this computer thing much either. I am trying to send this from a tablet.
 
You did it, already...

congrats, you got Miss Kay up and running quickly - someone here is going to advise you, who knows, whether you should address that leak. In my no-experience-compared-to-others-here opinion, I'd be interested in knowing what's leaking and just fix it before it decides to mimic "big-bang" theory. When you take pics, just save in folder, and when posting, choose file(where you'll be able to grab the .jpg (I presume) and include it, then preview and post it. Good luck - looking forward to seeing some photos of exterior, interior and leak area for the others to comment upon.
 

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