"We are viewing this as a one time investment for something we will keep forever."
If only it was that easy...
First off, while most vintage washers/dryers look very appealing, a lot of of them were not reliable. Some died out quickly due to early designs that yet to have the bugs worked out. Others were complex and sophisticated designs that hampered reliability. Some, like vertically pulsating Frigidaire's, were hard to find parts for even by the 80's. Maytag, Whirlpool/Kenmore, and GE were the "Big 3" of the more common and reliable platforms but even these have limitiations between certain years, models, and designs.
Vintage Maytags are the simplest, most reliable and durable washers (and I'd argue dryers as well). The pastel era of Maytags (or any manufacture) have very small tubs and drums and are trickery to work on and find parts for. For the washer, you want the large capacity model that's no older than 1969. The Halo of Heat dryers are beasts but nearly every part except belts have dried up. Their capacity is very small by todays standards and virtually no one in the business knows how to work on them now, you're on your own. For the dryer you want 1976+ Stream of Heat design. Be aware that some parts for these are starting to dry up, especially parts that are model specific, like timers.
The main problem is, you're not going to find a set that's 40+ years old and then immeadilty slam them into daily service without copious amounts of initial work. Dryers are very easly, washer....not so much. The longer you want these machines to last, be reliable, perform like new, and give the least amount of breakdowns, the more initial work you'll need put into the restoration process. This is basically going to be up to you. I'd caution about purchasing machines that are "rebuilt" or "restored" because I guarantee you lots of corners are cut with cheap aftermarket parts installed by people trying to make a buck who don't have a good idea nor care what needs to be performed and performed correctly. Future parts will need to be sought after and stashed for the future. In the near future you WILL be the only one repairing them! If you're not up to these tasks, buy something new. This hobby is for the quirky tinkerer who has been stashing parts the last 10-15 years, loves learning and getting their hands dirty, has backup machines just in case, and doesn't mind stumbling over a bunch of NOS parts stashed all over the house and garage. From societies perspective, you need a few loose marbles to own and maintain these beautiful contraptions.
