Thank you Rayna....I find it funny in a not too haha way ! I have 29 year old Maytag washer and dryer that were my Mom's. The repair place said that I should definitely hang on to them as they "don't make them like this anymore". Used to be you got sick of an appliance years before it quit. Now you finally figure out all the "bells and whistles" just in time to get a new one. Great article. c

Thanks for the heads up....I think now I will hold onto my '92 refrig and even older washer and dryer. Like the ole saying - if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And I sent this great article onto 2 friends!

I actually don't find it funny. Sadly, it is too true. When we were shopping for new kitchen appliances, one of the salesmen told us blatantly that the new stoves and fridges only have a life expectancy of 10 years. He said it's because the consumer wants to change everything every ten years anyways, so there's no point in making them last longer. I was appalled. WE actually considered the white stove we were replacing to be fairly new, and as it was in the house when we bought it, it had to be at least 12 years old!

I think times may be changing though. The economic crisis that the world is experiencing right now may be just what we need to shake some sense into the 'make it cheaper to replace than to fix' crowd. Once the Chinese middle class decide they too want all the latest and greatest, there will be no more obscenely cheap products 'made in China' available any more.

Off my soap-box now.

And thanks for the article.

-- Circuspeanut smugly looks over at her 1949 O'Keefe & Merrit, newly refurbished and good for another 60 years --

One of the reasons we purchased all European brands. That mentality hasn't reached across the ocean yet and we're hoping to get 20+ years of use from everyone of our appliances.

And at one point we considered changing oven brands but the cabinets are made to fit the ones we have and it would have cost $500 to modify the cabinet to fit a different brand so add to the expense - not happening.

One of the things I've read is that the electronic circuitry that's built into modern appliances ends up shortening their life spans. You just can't have sensitive computer circuits inside a hot range and expect them not to get fried!

That said, those 5- and especially 10-year extended warranties that Consumer Reports says you shouldn't get on mundane things like tv's and mp3 players look like a good deal on major appliances... (I only took a 5 - wish I'd sprung for the 10!)

I laughed because I could totally identify with the stove, which had a timer that stopped working which meant the self-clean wouldn't work. The damn thing was 10 years old - and of course, they no longer made the clock/timer - or the knobs that turned on the burners. The Chinese substitute ones Whirlpool sent me did not fit. And this was an all-in-one 1980's range with the attached top oven, which of course, they no longer made so I couldn't replace it.

My daughter-in-law's 3 year old high-end Dacor stove has one burner that doesn't light and the oven is slow as molasses. And on and on. It does make me angry - but I don't see any positive changes coming, despite what is going on in the world. My Whirlpool washer and dryer are either 1980's or early '90s and I pray they outlast me.

And Caroline - I am keeping my fingers x'd on the Caldera, which so far is just fine.

(Ok. Having previously posted this to the AF where I first saw this thread, I'm taking up Raynag's suggestion to join the actual discussion which is happening over here!):

You're right, Raynag. As much as I groaned along in instant recognition as I was reading this piece, I also found myself laughing out loud at several points. The author is a great writer with a great sense of humor and, unfortunately, is also so very spot on in analyzing today's appliance market. In fact, the article serves as a painful reminder of how I was able to get 20 years of trouble-free enjoyment out of a 1920's era range I inherited -- when the range was already 60+ years old -- and why I now have my fingers crossed in the hopes I will get a mere 10 years of life out of my ridiculously hyped and shamefully expensive brand new kitchen appliances. (Yeah, I know, recessions have a remarkable way of bringing you back to earth after the fact.) :) Thanks for sharing this!

Additional comment to Loves2Cook: Like you, I purchased all European brands for my new kitchen. But while I focused alot on performance, energy saving, repair history, etc. in making my purchase decisions, I never actually researched and compared the European appliance shelf life factor. I sure hope you're right!

We finally have the money for a big-time range and I find I am endlessly postponing the decision. I have all kinds of angst that I'll get yet another lemon. It would be number four! I have a fatal attraction to bad ranges.

So I kinda get excited about one or the other and then look again at the POC profile that is number three and go...

Will it last? How do I know? If I like it, it must be going to fall apart soon... Should I keep using POC until the oven completely rusts out? O boy, I never realized it could blow the house up.

Repeat ad infinitum (or is it al dente)?

The humorous writing in that article pointed out how un-humorous the appliance merry-go-round is these days. I've agonized more over appliance choices than the entire rest of the new house put together. Every time I decide on one, I read ten reviews that say it's a piece of junk. I've finally made decisions but I can't say I'm entirely confident with them.

I do understand that appliances have so much complexity built into them that it's inevitable that things will fail, and it seems that the more they're electronic (as opposed to mechanical), the more quickly they do so. It's so frustrating to think that I'm spending such big $$$ on things that may start breaking down as the delivery truck pulls out of the driveway.

Thanks for sharing the article . . .

circuspeanut -- love the range!

I guess I tend to buy mid-range appliances. When I buy them. Which isn't very often. And if I find something that works, I stick with it. We had a good low-end Bosch DW two houses ago, so when it was time to replace the one in this house, we got the very same one. I did the same thing with a GE gas range.

Now, that doesn't mean I don't get excited over the glowing, gleaming possibilities out there. But I guess my frugality (cheapness?) on the front end helps keep the cost down for any eventual replacement. The beauty of lowered expectations!

Our fridge is definitely time-tested. It has been running like a top for 51 years. But sometimes I think an icemaker would reeeeeeeally be nice.

That is the coolest-looking refrigerator! Love the trim & handles! (Glad to hear it's still cool inside, too. ;-))

Things I look forward to with my new appliances:

(1) The dishwasher - just having one!
(2) An icemaker. I've never been good at keeping up with making ice cubes manually, so I've basically done without. I'm not sure I'll run this one all the time (there's a way to disable it, right???), but when I'm going to have company, or when I want a steady supply of smoothies in the summer - it'll be great!
(3) Being able to light the oven without being worried I'm going to blow up the building. (My old (old!) stove got lit by turning on the gas and then waving a lighted match around in the broiler drawer underneath the oven.)
(4) Sealed burners!
(5) Being able to reach the microwave. (The old one was on top of the fridge.)

Charlikin,

I'm reading your list and can't get over how much more we have in common than I thought. As it turns out, I could claim the same 5 points you just made in your post! LOL! And, you're right about Jakabedy having a hot-looking vintage fridge. Of course, I'm also thinking that Circuspeanut has a pretty cool-looking vintage range as well. They certainly don't make 'em like that anymore!:)(:

Our icemaker decision was made for us by the fact that the city puts something into the water that we don't want in our systems, and it's impossible to get out with any currently affordable filters, so we're doomed to making our own ice with purer water from the store (refillable containers).

And a note re the dependability that you won't blow anything up with a newer stove: read some of the horror stories at the link below (enter whatever brand you want -- I'll start it with one). That site is why it took us so darn long to get a new range! We finally settled on an American, which doesn't have as much electronics as, say, an Electrolux or whatever else, and is somewhat affordable (I found a great price that made it possible for us).

We have our fridge from 1999--probably more energy efficient at cooling than yours, jakabedy, but no way as fundamentally cool -- with a fridge like that you were *destined* to find that home :)

Here is a link that might be useful: the unfunny version of the article

Flyleft - thanks for the link. I checked it out - TG no reports on Miele at all BUT I could add a whole nother horror story about our GE Monogram fridge and freezer units which are being replaced by Miele units shortly. Go Abt!

But what amazes and saddens me is that most people seem to accept the situation as-is without blinking their eyes. Where's the outrage????? When/if people finally wake up to the scam, will the same thing happen to these companies that has happened to the American car companies?

sjerin - therein lies the problem. Most people take it lying down. Me on the other hand - no way. I think the only reason we got a refund on the GE was that we had threatened to sue for medical costs associated with mold growing in the fridge (which BTW, was operating within acceptable parameters according to the GE tech). It was cheaper for them to do the refund but most people don't have such a major issue. At the very least they should be reporting to the consumer protection agencies. (Did that too)

Good for you, loves2cook! As rotten as GE was, what would you have done if they had called your bluff? It would be such a pain to actually sue, I would think. Of course, this is the reason they have been getting away with selling bad merchandise! I hope we all collectively wake up and start insisting on better products, though since Whirlpool owns most if not all of the American appliances, they've got us over a barrel. Anyway, I admire your gumption and perseverance.

I am wary of any product with electronic components, particularly those that get hot. I hope the next time we need a range we will be living near a dealer in Peerless Premier gas and electric ranges. (www.premierrange.com). No bells or whistles on them or any pretension to style, but they are designed to last a long, long time. And all the knobs are in the front, even on the electric ranges.

Probookie,
There were many a thread on gardenweb several years ago when Peerless was very popular. I think they had a lot more problems that you can believe. SOme did not work at all if I remember correctly.

I think people romanticize the past a little too much. I know that O'Keefe and Merritt stoves were not cheap when they were being sold in the 40s and 50s.

Get what makes you happy and sometimes you may have to deal with crappy appliances. We are a disposable society. Many people on this forum complain how expensive certain brands are and only want it cheap. This reinforces a manufacturers prerogative to give you the cheap stuff cheaply.
Just my .000002cents
Good luck!

We would have gone through with it. Absolutely. Mold can be a big problem. Our appliance dealer knew we were serious and so really went to bat for us. It helps too when half the family are lawyers including a couple of retired ones who would have loved to get back in the game for just one case and they all thought we had a viable one.

And homepro is right but I want to qualify that statement - us AMERICANS are a disposable society. Friends in Europe and Australia cannot believe the junk we settle for and how quick we are to throw out and replace rather than fix. One of the reasons appliances built for those markets are built to last.