If you have the option - which I doubt is the case too often, but it does come up - would you buy a new appliance, or would you search for something older? Say, as a hand-me-down from someone you know? This sounds potentially icky, but the reasoning behind the question is one of quality. I'm sure most homeowners, especially the older homeowners, have noticed how appliance lifespans have nosedived these days. Electronics are now practically made with expiry dates built in, whereas the older stuff seems capable of lasting for decades. Point of example, we bought a mixer for chopping up food a while back, and it lasted maybe twelve months before the motor burnt out. Then someone we know handed down an older, bigger one they didn't use anymore, with a box from the 80s, and it can slice anything to pieces without breaking a sweat. So what's your pleasure? New or old?
I have to agree that electronics are not made to last. I would say the same for appliances as well. I spoke with a TV repair man who told me the average life span of appliances is about 7 years and that even he buys extended warranties. I just replaced all of my appliances as I'm renovating and my older appliances are still in great condition. My stove and fridge were15 years old and working fine. My mother took my stove and I moved my fridge to my basement to be an beer fridge for my husband. My dishwasher was over 25 years old. It came with the house we bought. We never had a problem with. I'm sure with my new appliances I'll save money on electricity but I know they won't last as long as my old ones.
Well for more personal appliances (which I really can think of any, but there might be) I'd say it's a big no but when it comes to more general and wholesome types I don't think it's a really bad idea. If it's coming from, let's say a good friend of a family then I think it's fine but if you're going to buy one of off eBay or something then I'd probably go for the new ones.
We have both new and hand me downs for appliances. Both work just find. We have a hand me down oven toaster that's works just fine. We live in an apartment and don't like to use the oven. Over a decade ago my Mom had the chance for a hand me down toaster oven and she brought it home. We've been using it ever since. But for washing machines my Mom buys brand new only.
If I was strapped for cash then I would gladly accept hand me down appliances especially if I need them and they still work. But if I had a choice though, I would prefer to to buy brand new. Some new appliances are now more energy-efficient. In the long run, this would surely cut costs in my electricity bill.
I would always go for a new appliance particularly the high tech and electronic gadget. Our old tv was the semi-flat that is so heavy that 2 people cannot carry it. Last December we bought a 40-inch flat tv that is much bigger than that old heavy tv but it is carried by only 1 person, light and easy to mount as well. With just that, I guess it is very practical to go for the new appliances which have a newer technology.
Depends on the type of appliance - for example - if its a fridge, freezer, washing machine, oven, microwave, iron or something along those lines - always new - mainly because they're more energy efficient and therefore more economical to run - they also usually come with a five year warranty - which is also very beneficial - particularly as - manufacturers these days now stop making parts each time they upgrade a model - which of course makes it very difficult to get parts for anything that is much more than 5 years old. However - the few things I wouldn't want to swap for new are my blender which is still going strong after 15 years of regular daily use and likewise my Kenwood mixer which is so robust that its still going strong after nearly 30 years of extremely heavy use.
I'd almost always opt for something new if I could afford it. My reason behind it is that new technology often proves to be more efficient and sometimes it even has better features. New air conditioners, for example, I'm guessing are probably way more efficient and cost effective now than their decades-old counterparts. I'm also guessing that probably refrigerators are the same way since there have been a lot more discoveries in the past decades.
Depends on how old the old appliance someone wants to "gift" me with is. Very old appliances as it has been pointed out will quickly cancel out any savings you'd have made if this was to keep you from buying a new appliance because they consume a lot of energy. So much as getting a free appliance can be great if it won't be saving you any money in the long run, it will be more like a white elephant to you. Only use old appliances if you intend to replace them with energy efficient appliance.
This has been going on for decades, otherwise known as "planned obsolescence". There was a documentary on it that I watched several months ago, which shows it occurring as far back as when the light bulb was invented. In the case of things such as washers and dryers, or refrigerators or stoves, I'm kind of on the fence with whether I agree with it or not. I don't necessarily see it as a bargain to buy some really expensive appliance, then spend several hundred more dollars having it repaired repeatedly as the years go on. Even the sturdiest appliances are going to have stuff go wrong on them. When I look at all the money my folks wasted getting our fridge or tv's repaired, they could have just bought brand new ones instead. I would rather spend $800 on a fridge vs. $3,000, and when it dies on me, sell it off and buy a new one, than spend three grand plus another 700-800 dollars in repairs over the years.
I don't remember that we ever had an appliance that was given to us, but I would gladly take any free hand me down appliance if it's still working. I would always opt to just buy a new one since I would like to have some peace of mind that an appliance would last long because of the 1 year warranty.
