The previous owner of our house renovated the kitchen in 98 or thereabouts. It had a 96/97 DCS 36 inch all gas range with grill, F and P dishdrawers (601?) and a Jenn Air side by side fridge. We eventually replaced the dishdrawers and fridge -- the dishdrawers were a famously bad model, and even after fixing the faulty installation, they had the fatal flaw of not getting dishes clean. I cheered when it failed entirely about 4 years ago. A Bosch replacement (top of the mid grade) has been trouble free. The fridge was a service call a year to change out a board; when a fan failed too we got rid of it. That was about a year ago, the KA replacement hasn't been a problem so far.

The DCS is still going strong. The igniters are probably original.

I'd guess that to the extent we want appliances to do more, we get problems. To achieve energy efficiency with refrigerators requires control boards that go bad. 1950s fridges last forever, but require manual defrosting and draw more power. Old stoves with pilots had less to go wrong but can be an unwelcome source of heat and also burn gas when you're not using it. And of course they have no modes or features like duel fuel that many people want.

You can still get simple -- even stoves with pilots, maybe for the Amish market and others living off the grid. And simple can be cheap. Probably durable, too.

Yet, neither low nor high end is a guarantee of trouble-free appliances. I remember a low-end GE dishwasher in an apartment I had, and getting the notice that it had been recalled and would be replaced eventually, since it had the tendency to cause fires.

I have a 12 yr old Viking dual fuel 30" range that has been a work horse for me and will be going in my new kitchen.

The gas range (oop's & electric ) will give you the best bang for your buck the simpler the range the longer the life span, gas self cleaning will have a shorter life span unlike the electric self clean. Dishwashers today have a 7 to 12 yr life refrigerators vary by manufacturer built in excluding viking have a decent life 15 yrs and up, everyday refrigerators with out dispensers will out last those with dispensers top freezer, 7 to 10 yrs, side by side w/o dispenser 10 to 15 with dispenser about the same only with more potential for service and louder, bottom fz again with out dispenser about 17 to 20 with disp same with more potential for svc and louder

>>>gas self cleaning will have a shorter life span unlike the electric self clean.

curious why you say that - the electric self-clean ovens get hotter and often fry the electronics from what I've heard

It depends on the appliance, I think, and the workload. Refrigerators should last at least 20 years, although I am told the new ones won't go that long. Seems a mystery to me that that would be the case, but I fix my own appliances and the minor breakdowns we have encountered have been trivial. I would consider a control board failure or a sealed system failure on a fridge to be catastrophic, but not defrost components, thermostats, fans, lights, or seals. They are easy and cheap to diagnose and replace.

Dishwashers seem like about 10 year items. But they get a workout. We have a Bosch that's 6 years old or so and it is absolutely trouble-free and spectacular at cleaning dishes. The only weird thing is that it doesn't dry dishes like the American style DWs with heater elements. The Miele dishwashers seem to give some people fits, but I am convinced that they are of the finest construction available for residential use, even better than my Bosch, which is pretty good.

I think our range hood is around 5 or 6 years old, too. It still works great. I wash the mesh filters every couple months and replace an occasional quartz lamp. It is a GE Monogram and I am going to estimate that it will go 20 years at least.

I have only ridden one range in my life into the dirt, and that was the 80s vintage POS Gaffers and Sattler drop in that came with our house when we bought it in 89. It was flimsy and temperamental and I finally got sick and tired of looking at it and cut it out like a diseased molar. Sadly, I did not have the wonderful resource of Gardenweb there to guide me when I replaced it, not that it would have helped. The girls were still in school then and I barely had two nickels to rub together in my pocket. A Maytag range, and later a Jennair, essentially to match the range hood, were next. But when we did the remodel I went looking for a pro-style range. It is so night and day different from the stuff it replaced as to be from another planet. The range is going to outlast all of us. It will still be here boiling pasta and frying eggs when I am in Valhalla sipping Margaritas with Frida Kahlo and rolling dice with Robert Johnson.

My parents updated their kitchen the first time in the '60s. My Dad stumbled upon an appliance store that was going out of business and gave him a better-than 50% savings for cash. He bought a 42" Thermador cooktop and double ovens, KA (hobart) DW and disposal, and a GE SxS with icemaker.

the GE died after about 10-12 years. Replaced with another with ice/water in the door. That one lasted longer.

The KA DW lasted over 20 years. It developed a leaky door seal that was hard to find, so it was replaced with a Maytag.

Both the Thermadors needed simple repairs (rewiring for hte cooktop, elements for the ovens). The clock on the ovens went out and was never fixed. These went about 40 years. They were replaced a few years ago with a single oven and smaller cooktop.

did I mention the Ventahood? Mom never liked it because it was loud (internal blower), but I always used it on medium when cooking on that 7-element thermador to keep the heat down. That also went about 40 years, and needed some attention (loose switches, motor cleaning) at the end.

Also, all except the GE were stainless. Heavy duty stainless that stood repeated cleanings for 40 years.

We did the reno 5 years ago. The Wolf rangetop and hood are still working brilliantly, no problems at all. Same for the Asko dishwasher. The FP double convection ovens had an issue with the thermostat, but the company fixed it free of charge and later redesigned the part in subsequent years.

The LG FD fridge is a disaster...we bought one of the first generations of the LG's because of all the rave reviews in here and online. All the drawers inside have broken and the freezer drawer below will never stay fully closed because the door is slightly warped and unsteady. I hate to say it, but we just bought a new Samsung FD to be delivered next week, and it just kills me to see only 5 years of service out of an appliance. What a waste of resources. Between the two I could have bought a KD or SZ built in. The 17 year old Whirlpool fridge we bought when we first moved in the house still works fine and is in the basement. However, it probably uses a lot of power.

miele oven, year 1980 ---> still working
miele hobs, 1980 -> still in operation

whirlpool europe speedoven 1996 still working

miele fridge, 1980 still operating (but gone into basement as backup unit)
Liebherr fridge, 2007

miele DW 1980 ----> 1996 , one service call when 12 y.o.
Philiphs DW 1986--->2000 one service call when 10 y.o.
bauknecht(whirlpool europe) DW 1996, officially still working, countless service calls (gone to vacation home)
AEG DW 2000, still working, one service call when 8 y.o.

Candy FL 1964--->1984, several service calls
miele FL 1984 --> still working, one service call when 16 y.o.
2nd miele FL 2000--> still working

It will still be here boiling pasta and frying eggs when I am in Valhalla sipping Margaritas with Frida Kahlo and rolling dice with Robert Johnson.

Are you planning on getting slain in battle? ;)

One of my partner cooks with a Wolf cook top that is ancient. They cook alot! The ignitor does not work and he has a lighter by its side. The cooking capacity is not diminished.
One of my other partner just replaced the compressor in their Subzero that is nearly 20 years old. They were not ready to do the kitchen at this point in their life. Hard to replace a paneled built in frig. They 'serviced' and it works fine.

OUR OLD KITCHEN APPLIANCES installed 1986 -removed 2004:
Kitchen Aid Refrigerator: (many troubles, replaced in 2003)
Kitchen Aid Trash Compactor: was still OK when removed
JennAir Gas Cooktop: exhaust pulled out the flame, ignitor switch broken, never liked it.
Kitchen Aid Built In Wall Oven/Microwave combo: MW failed, unrepairable, so whole set useless
Kitchen Aid DW (expired 2003): kaput, kaput

OUR NEW KITCHEN installed circa 2004/2005:
Viking Refrigerator: new, but had to be repaired to even be installed, had to replace the whole deli tray & door compartment (2009), lettuce was freezing while milk turning sour, which required another fix (2008). Not loving it, like the layout, but would not buy again.

Miele DW: Installed 2003. Replaced a faulty switch which prevented it from completing a cycle (2010). Love the cutlery tray, fits lots of dishes, quiet, wish it were faster on cycles.

KA Trash compactor: prefectly useful every day.
GE Spacemaker II MW: Good size and functional
Lacanche Dual Fuel Range: Love, love, love
Vent-a-Hood: Great
Viking Gas Grill on deck: 1st one defective, they replaced it. Quit using it once we installed Lacanche; grill indoors now. Looks nice out there. Should sell it. $5K down the drain.

Trash compactors here have disappeared in mid-late eighties. I remember Miele ones were available when we did our kitchen in 1980. Latest trend are multiple bins under the sink cabinet, for recycling glass, paper and plastics.
Larger sink cabinets (36" or 48") may have a drawer design

I did kitchen remodel 7+ years ago.... very happy with all the appliances that I purchased

Over the past 7+ years my Dacor 48" range has required no service calls and is used daily. No repair calls for my Bosch dishwasher as well.

My Subzero 700s had a single call for a phantom warning/ error message. The SZ 315 ice maker is another story... I often refer to the ice maker as the appliance I love to hate. I love the ice cubes it makes, but I hate the noise and twice yearly service calls.

The ice maker will be replaced in the future, but I have not decided with what...

Also, very happy my Miele washer & dryer (no service calls)

Our new KitchenAid (December 09) died after 2 uses. A new pump awaits installation tomorrow morning.

Our new (floor model) Thermador Oven (ME301) beeped an error code 8 hrs after installation. After pressing various "buttons" on the glass panel, the 'explanation' was revealed: "call cust. svs" -- I wonder if it's just a way to get it registered.

Our new (floor model) GE induction cooktop works great. Wow.
Too bad no one at GE can tell us what screws to use to hold on the underside baffle. Nor can they send any: "No longer mfd." Really! They keep sending all the other installation parts, some of which are not in any manual. wonder ...

Our 2 almost 3 yr old Bosch washer-drier set works fine. The menus are a bit retarded -- you have to use the service menu (accessible by rebooting a la PC's: takes three or 4 fingers) for the washer to SPIN ONLY -- and so on. It has so many variations in cycles, it'll make your head spin -- however most of them are useless. Ditto the drier. So many cycles, but only one or two work, and even then, you must plan your loads so that the drier actually dries clothes, as opposed to spinning them and wasting gas or cooking them to a crisp.

Our Bosch vacuum cleaner is crap. The attachments aren't even as good as crap. And the tiny bags don't hold any crap.

Our 5-y.o. GE water heater wasn't supposed to work after the base insulation got wet. Our plumber knows how to get around that. Too bad our insurer is less reliable than that.

Our 6-y.o. A/C systems by Carrier work OK; but there the challenge is finding an honest and reliable mechanic who is willing to actually explain things a bit and not just throw around BTU numbers and matching them to dollars. There's actually science to that stuff, but nobody "on the street" seems to know any of it.

Well I'm encouraged by this sampling of satisfied customers. We're contemplating a 36" DCS gas rangetop with grill. Bosch 500 series double wall-oven, and Bosch DW (unsure which model). Sometimes it gets scary reading the forums when there seems to be more people dissatisfied than satisfied.

Love, love my Bosch 500 series oven - mine's only a single, and 2 years old, but I'm happy with it. Trust it will last many more years to come.
Bosch dishwasher was mid-range, 8 years ago and is still going strong. Kept it when we remodelled the kitchen 2 years ago.

24+ yr old Kenmore Refrigerator - still going strong (but want a newer, more efficient frig and in process of shopping for replacement. This will go to basement. LOL)

Started out with Kenmore DW. It lasted 13 yrs.
Put in inexpensive DW which we chucked after less than 1 yr. Lesson learned: You get what you pay for and we wanted CLEAN dishes.
10+ yr old KA DW - still going strong, quiet, and does great job cleaning dishes!

24+ yr old Kenmore drop in stove/oven (stove top has been repaired once, otherwise it's still going strong and I am hoping it will croak soon so I can replace it and get new countertops. If all else fails, I may just rip it out.)

And this thread is suddenly making me feel OLD.

Some of these are older models so may not be relevant.

KitchenAid dishwasher bought 1992. Replaced in 2003 with a F&P DishDrawer, not that there was anything wrong with the KA (no repairs on it ever) but just that I wanted a DD. The KA sat unused for several years, my sister is using it for last couple years.

Fisher & Paykel DishDrawer DD603 bought in 2003, brought along when I moved to a new house in 2005. No repairs needed thus far.

Fisher & Paykel washer & dryer bought in 1999, replaced in 2004 with another F&P pair just because I wanted an update. The "old" set went to my grandmother. No repairs on them.

Fisher & Paykel washer & toploading dryer bought in 2004. No repairs, although the dryer's belt idler pulleys are beginning to wear.

KitchenAid top-freezer refrigerator bought in 1996 or 1997. No repairs needed. It was moved to my garage for drinks/extra storage in January 2005.

GE Profile electric range, OTR microwave, & Arctica SxS were in the house I bought in January 2005, 9 months old at the time. No repairs on them thus far. The refrigerator has a tendancy to drip moisture from the dispenser trim if ambient humidity is high, such as when I set my A/C up to 81°F while at work during the day. I've been working from home for the last 2.5 years so don't raise the temp so much, and the problem is much lessened. Also, the flap that closes to seal the ice chute often hangs open, causing frost build-up in the chute and on the ice tray unless it's closed after each use by poking a finger up into the dispenser.

Not relevant to kitchen appliances ... but thought I'd mention that my Panasonic plasma TV is now 7 years old.

And for fun ... the Singer self-propelled upright vacuum I bought at Wal-Mart on close-out for $85 in 1987 is still working fine. :-)

To sippimom and dadoes, I'm convinced that they "just don't make 'em like they used to!" I really hope our appliances can go that long. I'm only 32 and so I know, God willing, that these won't be the last, but the longer the better.

Specifically for you sara, I really liked the specs of the Bosch ovens as well as the look and feel. It seems like a very solid product. There are not as many reviews on them as the Electrolux which seems to be it's direct competition. How do you like the standard racks, and did your 500 series come with one of the telescopic ones? The Bosch at the dealer had the telescopic rack and we were very impressed with how strong and rigid it was, yet still very smooth rolling.

It has the standard racks, and I'm fine with them. I think the telescopic ones are probably "nice but not necessary" for me. I move the racks around all the time and have no problems.
It certainly is solid, and I was particularly impressed at the capacity of the oven: mine is 27", but the interior is the biggest I've seen in that size (if that makes sense).
I chose the 500 because I like the knobs, not the touch sensitive controls on the 800. The knobs seem to be pretty intuitive, which helps when Someone in the house doesn't read the manual . . . . :)

Thanks everyone for your input. It may very well come down to 'nice but not necessary' for us as well depending on where estimates come in and what final budget is. The 500 series is all but identical to the 800, and so if the only big difference is a single telescopic rack (even the 800 I believe only comes with one) and the price difference is major, it'll be the 500 for us as well.

foo11977: When I was looking at the Bosch ovens and determining the best price, I found one (actually 3) on ebay selling for less than what I could get a 500 series oven at Lowes.

The person selling them has OK feedback so may not be worth the risk versus just buying local from an actual store.

Here is a link that might be useful: ebay: Bosch 800 Wall Oven

it was interesting to read this thread, but i wonder how relevant the feedback really is (no offense to those having given such detailed feedback) with all the changes over the past 10-15 years in manufacturers and their standards, etc.

I’m debating about whether to replace my Viking gas top stove that’s approximately 20 years old. It works perfectly. But do I spend 15k + on new countertops and not replace it?

Jennifer Hardeman, why replace a working appliance that continues to meet your needs? Keep it unless there's a direct requirement to replace it related to updating the countertops. My parents bought a 10yo house in 1983, changed the ceramic tile countertops, kept the existing avocado cooktop and double wall oven ... until they needed to be replaced in 2005.