Too old to put with all new. Don't build in an expensive fix first thing.

You got great use out of it for 20 years. I vote for getting a new one that suits the new design.

Appliances date a kitchen a great deal. Would it bother you to see an older refrigerator with newer everything else? I’m the kind who would get it all done new, or leave it as is. The half way in between feels like a waste to me. That refrigerator would cheapen all the other new things. Call me shallow.

I think if I read correctly the OP bought the place with the 20 yr fridge he didn't get 20 yrs of use out of it.. It came with the house. Am I correct?

Yes, OP says it came with the house. I'd use it until it dies. At that time, decide what else you want to replace and what other appliances are about to die as well.

I too like more of a stainless commercial look but agree with Anglophilia. Use it - design your new kitchen as you want it and when the fridge dies, buy another one. So for some time it won't quite look the way you want it to. On the other hand, if you have big $$ donate it to a charity and get what you want now.

In addition, I would add, if you just moved in, it's often a good idea to live with the existing kitchen with all of its warts. Then after some time, you can make better decisions on what to do and how to go about it.

Good luck and have fun.

thanks everyone for your thoughts! great advice! I will definitely live with it for at least a year before we do any remodeling. Just reading about average life of the subzero fridges, they sound like they last on average 20 years, so I will just use it til it dies and get a new one with my remodel. thank you!

And when you remodel, please donate it to something like Habitat for Humanity. That's what I did with all the appliances in my condo years ago when we redid the place.

We had the exact same dilemma - our SZ is 26 years old and works great so we were hesitant to replace it. SZ does make one fridge that fits in the same space so we were going to keep it, but our KD said there were better models with different dimensions. In the end, we decided we didn’t want to design around a fridge that we could have to replace any day now.

20 years is an awkward age for a Subzero fridge. It's around the time when you would first expect to see the need for repairs, if the fridge wasn't treated nicely. It is likely still repairable at that point. But it might soon develop more expensive faults. On the other hand, it is quite possible that it could last another 10 years with only very minor expenses needed.

If you have a plan for what to do when it needs replacement, then keeping the old fridge is going to obviously save a good chunk of money. Subzeros are awesome; but the one thing they aren't is inexpensive. On the other hand, if you already know that there won't be a drop-in replacement available for your old fridge, then keeping it around could proof to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Reconfiguring kitchen cabinets that are only a few years old will cost a lot, and things will never look quite right.

Also, by the time you are shopping for a replacement, you might very well discover that a different size or different configuration makes more sense. For example, it looks as if the current fridge is both a fridge and a freezer column next to each other. That takes up a lot of space. You might discover that you'd rather locate the freezer somewhere else (e.g. pantry or garage).

My subzero is going on 28 years now. And still going. Mine is also the model with the water and ice in the door. that wood in the kitchen looks beautiful and very appropriate for the PNW.

So you may (probably) still get another 10+ years out of this.

Some considerations are: If you did replace it now, what would you replace it with? If you were going to do, another subzero of similar size I would think about keeping this one until it dies. although making new panels would be an expenseI would check into the dimensions of panels for current models.

What would the cost be for new panels that would tie into your new design.

How does this size work for your new plan? Would you go smaller or larger.? If you plan on larger some day then your cabinets you put in with this one would not accommodate a bigger refrigerator down the line If smaller, say 36 inch fridge, you could either make filler panels around the new refrigerator later or even custom pullout spice racks.

If you are not putting in another built in, the quality of a regular refrigerator would be very different. Plus you may not like the bulk of a regular refrigerator.

if you do decide to replace it, I would definitely keep it in the garage as an extra frig. in my vacation house, I have gone through 3 frigs in 10 years. and they either die in summer when I have a house full of guests or in winter when there is nobody here and it leaks all over the floor. While waiting for repairs from the place i had bought #2 from, I was left without a frig for 6 weeks over summer.

I hope you decide you love that warm wood, though.

Waverly, I just had to comment about dying fridges...that happened to me when I was going to have to wait for a replacement and I found a furniture rental place that rents appliances. They had a fridge for me, set up in the garage within a few hours and it was very affordable. No contract, week to week, so it worked wonderfully. Just a suggestion for others in the same boat.

Okay, I have a question. You say you are moving TO the PNW, from where? And how much is it going to cost to transport the fridge? And how much would that offset the cost of a new one?

Olychick, that's a great idea and wish I'd thought of that. The appliance store which kept me waiting for service for 6 weeks should have actually lent me a frig. I actually landed up going to Loews on July4th and buying the first frig that could be delivered. Now I have 2 crappy refrigerators and still dream of my subzero at home.

to those that donated their old kitchens when they remodeled, which organization do you recommend? Of course I will check in the PNW when the time comes, but when we remodeled here in our current CA home, we could not find any organization that wanted our used things. Perhaps because too many people remodel in our area, most places said they only accepted brand new, unused items, like builder excess, etc.

wiscokid, the SZ is in our new house in the PNW, so we won't need to move it. We are currently in SF, finishing up the kids' school year here before our move this summer. I just like thinking through things and planning things in advance. I already am working on preliminary kitchen designs, lol.

@michoumonster - got it. It read to me like you were going to take the fridge along with you from your current house...