How To Save a Small Fortune on a Washer / Dryer

One of the first things we needed at the new house was a washer and dryer. As anyone who’s bought a major appliance knows, it can be a big project and generate a bit of anxiety. I had just come from a rental house where I had no say about the washer and dryer, and guess what? They worked just fine. But suddenly, it seemed very important to pick exactly the right one – lest my clothes not get clean or the machine fall apart on me.

Welcome to your brain on marketing: All of the big box stores (home improvement stores, electronics stores, warehouse clubs, and more) compete for your business with flashy sales and promotions. Manufacturers offer basic models as well as over-the-top models with gimmicky features and ever-increasing price tags. And bloggers and other reviewers all have opinions about what to get.

I knew I wanted a front-loading washer and a gas dryer. Given those two basic criteria, washer/dryer pairs started around $1,400 at the major stores. There would be taxes and installation fees to add and a rebate offered by my gas utility company to subtract, which funnily enough left the final accounting right around…$1,400. But that’s just the entry-level models, and it’s surprisingly easy to talk yourself into spending more.

There’s a way to get a much better deal. It requires putting down Consumer Reports (and the blogs), turning your back on the flashy promotions, and tuning out the marketing that is trying so desperately to convince you that nothing but the latest “revolution in cleaning technology” will get the job done.

The answer, as is often the advice on this blog, is to buy used. I wound up picking up a used set from a local, secondhand appliance repair shop. This small business had excellent customer ratings, a “we’ll get it done” attitude about installation and handling issues, and a 45-day warranty. The set I bought was about $650, and it was not an entry-level set.

I know reliability and repair is a common concern. In our case, if something should go wrong, we have a home warranty from our house purchase that covers appliances. We also did a quick Google search to make sure the model wasn’t unreliable. But the bottom line is I’m happy to take a secondhand model that a repair shop has inspected over a random new model, especially when I can save almost $1,000 by doing so. So the next time you need a major appliance, check for secondhand shops as well as Facebook Marketplace before you head to the big box store!