only real difference is
Customer service between the various re-branders. You can look up the various problems this machine and its predecessors have had all over the place.
The OEM does tend to correct problems over time, so the second generation of anything will usually be less trouble prone than the first.
A few examples:
The first ones sold in the US had timer motors set for the 50Hz European power net. This meant that they rushed through their cycles. That one got fixed by 1999 (the old mechanical timers).
The door latch/switch mechanism was updated twice.
The motor problems which were a big nuisance in 2000 have been ironed out, as has the static discharge across the motor controller board which led to the machines frequently freezing up in the middle of a cycle.
For European standards, these are adequate machines. Not badly built and reliable if one uses HE detergents and de-scales them regularly. For the US market, they are exceptionally well built, highly reliable and a great value.
Personally, I find Sears stores of today grate on my nerves. Their service contracts are, however, frequently much cheaper than the alternatives.
The much maligned Lowe's delivered the dryer from this series to my folks three weeks ago. When I asked the driver about their experience with returns, he said Frigidaire was best at just replacing the machine while GE insisted on trying, trying again to get an obvious lemon going. Still and all, tho', he said they were all among the most reliable they sold and seldom gave problems, lots were replaced, still working after seven or eight years, when the housewife wanted a "new" look in her kitchen.
My mom's is now in its seventh year, washing well over 10 loads a week. A friend's 1998 is still going strong, although it has had the door latch problem and - like all these machines - suffered a pump boot puncture from a BH wire. A real problem for these machines...their "high" spin speed means you must remove all such things before washing.
