San Diego Housing Market News and Analysis

Maybe, because it's old crap that needs to go to the city recycling? Just Maybe?

Your best bet if you want a reliable fridge with a kick ass icemaker...Samsung. I love mine to death. They share patents with GE...because they formed a business cobal a few years back...Samsung even makes better rated fridges for GE...even my water filter is GE.

If you want to browse for the best, go to consumer reports.

The days of appliances built to last are far gone. It's called planned obsolescence. My mom has a full kitchen of foo-foo appliances by Dacor and she has had nothing but problems. The only one that really works with no problem is her Sharp microwave.

Regardless of that I have never heard bad things about Kenmore from Sears. Alternatively, depending on budget I have also heard good things about Wolf. Although expensive they are built for operating in a commercial kitchen. I have heard BAD BAD things about Viking though, another commercial grade appliance company.

I'm not sure what the answer to your question is. Frankly, you need to remember the adage: a happy customer will tell 1 person about their experience, an unhappy customer will tell 100. Many of the reviews you see online are from the latter, not the former. You have to take the reviews with a grain of salt.

For example, I recently needed to buy a SOHO backup system for my computers. I was interested in getting a Netgear ReadyNAS and TigerDirect.com had the best price. I did a quick audit of TigerDirect and found quite a few negative reviews. However, most of them were concerning rebate issues. Frankly, I don't buy anything anymore if the rebate is the only thing that makes the price bearable. If it isn't worth the list price sans rebate, I look elsewhere.

In any event, I went ahead and placed the order with TigerDirect and had it shipped UPS ground. Imagine my surprise when it was sitting on my doorstep the next afternoon. Will I go online to a bunch of review sites and convey this awesome experience? Probably not. However, when I had a crappy experience with Pacific Sales a few months back, I posted it on about 5 different websites. Draw your own conclusions.

Back to the question at hand...

FWIW, I have a 10 year old sears (whirlpool) side by side with an ice maker and I haven't really had any problems with it. When I bought a dishwasher recently I also bought a whirlpool (gold).

Frankly, $1500 is not a bad price for a SS SBS fridge. I paid almost that much 10 years ago for a white one and mine is very small due to space constraints (~ 21 cu feet).

Back in the day, appliances actually lasted for awhile. Nowadays, since they don't last long, I always go with the lowest price with minimal bells and whistles. Why spend $800 on an appliance that is going to break in a few years, when you can spend $500 for it to do the same thing.

I had a Pioneer stereo for many years, and eventually it broke. I bought another one, and it lasted 1 year. Called Pioneer and they could care less. Name brand means nothing anymore. On the other hand, I have a generic $20 DVD player that is on it's 2nd year with no problems. Go figure.

We bought a Kenmore Elite side by side in stainless steel from the Sears Outlet in Corona. It retailed for $2,300 and we got it for $1,400 out the door (tax and delivery included). The reason for the price reduction was that it had a slight dent in the left door.

We've had it for three years now and not a single problem with it. It has the bottom door freezer, which I really like and a chilled water dispenser in the door. It's 25 cubic feet and is really well laid out in terms of storage.

We bought a Kenmore Elite dishwasher in stainless at the same time and got about 40% off if I remember correctly. Both have performed flawlessly.

There is a SearsOutlet store
SAN DIEGO
Store #4328
960 Sherman St
San Diego, CA 92110-4015
distance: 2.2 miles

I have one near me and generally the appliances are scratch and dent (some of the dents/dings are on the side and wont be seen), some are floor models and some are new items. They often have sales, and advertise 25-50% off list prices. It might be worth checking out. They all have the original manufacturer warranty too.
http://www.searsoutlet.com

I bought the Kenmore Elite HEt3 front loader washing machine and matching dryer 5 years ago and are still working well. Cleans clothes well, uses much less water and detergent, clothes come out pretty dry from the wash.

I also bought a GE Profile sbs fridge with ice maker and water filter at a regular Sears (not outlets at the time). No problems with it over 5 years. The rest of my appliances came with the home from the builder.

From time to time Sears regular stores run 20% off if u buy 3+ appliances and they will price match a local store too.

One recommendation do not buy a sbs (bought it for the looks), I really regret it and should have listened to my mother about it. You can not fit anything it in on either side, and the freezer size is so small. I have a separate standing freezer in the garage.

I would like to get a french door fridge for my next home if the fridge is not included. The downside of the french door is energy efficiency is POOR.

Try pacific sales (there is one in RB), they don't advertise their prices but I've found them to beat the big chain stores. The sears outlet that allan mentioned is also another great choice, especially for a washer/dryer who cares if it has a scratch or a dent. I'll cast another vote for the HE3t, that thing is the bomb. Be patient, I picked up my he3t pair off craigslist for $750 for the pair and both pedestals. They were three years old and I had to move them from the sellers upstairs laundry room and rent a truck, plus there is a risk with anything used but almost every female relative of mine has had them for years with no problems and they love them like dudes like their harley's, it's a creepy loyalty but it was enough for me cause I don't know the difference. I wasn't about to drop 2k on a washer and dryer so it took a little work because they go fast on craigs, if I had to do it again I'd go sears outlet, when I was looking they didn't have the one I wanted, they probably do now.

I had the worst CS experience of my life at PS a few months ago. I'd shop at Best Buy before I'd give them another dollar...

I've had a number of GE monogram appliances as I've moved around. Some purchased from pacific sales. My experience with pacific sales was quite good. I went with a less expensive model, which was delivered and installed. A few weeks later I decided I liked the more expensive one, (about $350) better. They gave me full credit on the old one, and I only had to pay the new deliver charge. Thats more than I expected.

This was before best buy bought them, so I don't know if its different now. But for those posting that they would buy from best buy first, you many not realize they have the same ownership.

I buy cheap appliances (not the very cheapest, but pretty cheap) and when they break I throw them away and buy new ones.

Appliances are basically the same underneath it all.

We've had good luck with Kenmore... Sears doesn't manufacture them - but they do insist on an amount of quality. Our fridge is LG, for example, behind the kenmore label. (We buy LG water filters for it.)

The tip on the sears outlet down on Sherman (off of Morena, near the 5/8 interchange) is a good one.

And I'm a HUGE fan of the french door fridge. We can fit ANYTHING in it. I love the efficiency of the bottom drawer freezer also.

We bought an Amana white 25 cf sbs 12 years ago for about $1100. Moved twice and had the doors removed twice (in & out) on first 2 places. Had no problems with the ice maker or switches. I purposely bought with separate Ice/Water dispensers, so you don't switch between ice and water, only between cubes and crushed ice. Also, simple mechanical slide switches, not those membrane pressure switches or levers.

Only minor issues: internal plastic water container doesn't chill water to temp of refrigerator, probably too thick (under constant pressure); handles started to discolor and crack, but after 11 years of marriage, so am I.

Wife wants to remodel kitchen and compressor is starting to get noisy, so it may have a few years left, the refrigerator, not the wife...

Will probably buy a new one after the remodel, the kitchen, not the wife... although she does want a tummy tuck...

Lucky In OC

I've had a side by side frig w/ ice/water for 11 years with no problems. I had to go look to see what it was...it's a Frigidaire. I have Kenmore for washer/dryer and they are probably 7 years old with no problems. I'm not an appliance snob and don't buy things with silly upgrades that are going to be the first thing to break.

Dude you are a riot, rack that post!!! And get her the tummy tuck before the kitchen remodel, the kitchen won't shop at frederick's they all want that pre-kid stomach, it will pay off in spades for you, I guarantee it, when they feel good, you win. Keep it up Lucky, I'm still laughing.

I researched W/D for a while and LG is considered one of the top by Consumer Reports. I went with the top of the line LG that isn't a Steam set. I really didn't think I'd use the Steam option to justify the cost so don't get sucked into the pretty colors. One of the biggest differences between the sets that save you a few hundred bucks and a slightly more expensive one is often the stainless steel drum. I have read that the stainless steel drum is an upgrade well worth spending. I think most of these W/D will have electrical problems down the road with all of their sophisticated panels, but this is the world we live in, from cars to W/D. So any one you get, budget a few hundred bucks over the next 10 years to swap out that circuit board.

The bad reviews on a lot of the front loaders has to do with people not using common sense on their washer. I believe a lot of people complain about the mildew. You HAVE to leave the door open. I was wiping it down religiously when I first got it and leaving the door open but found that if I didn't wipe it down, it would still air dry very quickly.

I checked out Sears outlet and they don't offer that great of prices, as well as a number of the smaller shops. You get maybe $50-100 bucks off retail. You can get those same discounts just shopping a sale of brand new appliances.

Negotiate! I bought my set from Best Buy and negotiated the deal for 20% off and free delivery.

If you buy energy efficient, there is a rebate from the water district.

I have a sbs fridge, spent about $800; it is a whirlpool. We've had it for 3 1/2 years and it has never had problems. Our washer and dryer are Kenmore (not front loading). Washer is 3 1/2 years old too, and it broke once because I put in a load was too heavy (don't overfill it especially with towels). The dryer is older (we got it free, so I'm not sure how old it is), but it works great and has never had issues.

For the best brands, ask an appliance repair guy.
They know.

Ours told us Kitchenaid isn't the same as it used to be.

I agree about the Sears Outlet down by Morena/Napa.

sears sells LG badged as kenmore for half the price.

do not get stainless or designer colors, as those will be harvest gold
in a few years. White is in vogue forever.

Stainless shows smudges like crazy, you can go ape trying to keep it clean.

We bought a Maytag top-of-the line french door fridge with the big freezer drawer on the bottom three years ago when we moved back from Japan. PIECE OF CRAP!!! We've had repairman out to replace the motherboard twice. Apparently it runs too hot for the CPU. I suppose this is what we get for mixing computers with major appliances. After the first repair I spent the money for the extended warranty. Paid off 6 months after we bought it. Fried motherboard again. We spent $2200 for that fridge. I think it's going in the garage in Gaithersburg. The one that comes with the house is an LG (see next).

At the same time we bought front-loader LG W/D, both are fantastic, not a lick of trouble. Definitely leave the washer door open, or you will smell mildew. I'm now a sucker for Korean major appliances, so I guess I also second the Samsung recommendation.

Most Kenmore stuff is actually Whirlpool, but sort of a moot point, since Whirlpool is considered pretty reliable across all the appliances it makes. LG does make some Kenmore stuff though. Unfortunately though, Maytag also makes some Kenmore stuff, and they're hardly the reliable manufacturer they used to be. I'd say most Kenmore stuff is probably made by reliable manufacturers though.

I think Maytag is Whirpool. At least Whirpool owns Maytag, as is does Jenn Air and Amana(was owned by Maytag), and KitchenAid....

In my experience, the 3 rules I follow for reliable appliances.

1) Avoid too much electronics and too many features...(Prefer manual controls versus those cool looking LCD/LED). My experience has been the electronics fail long before mechanical stuff.

2) Avoid Bosch appliances (especially dishwashers)...Expect your reliability from this german brand to be on par with german cars :)

3) Avoid Chinese brands.

Some sweeping generalizations based on our past purchases.
Almost always good brands: Kenmore, Whirlpool, Magic Chef, Maytag, although Maytag slipping lately.
Always avoid GE, whatever the appliance is: user unfriendly, breaks down, noisy refrigerators, just always predictably crap. Tough to avoid GE since they are so ubiquitous, but that has been our experience.

Maytag was bought by Whirlpool in 2006, but they are seperate product lines, manufactured in seperate factories (sort of like Ford and Jaguar were). Kitchen-Aid is another brand name owned by Whirlpool, but I believe they are actually manufactured by Whirlpool themselves.

Wifey is recovering from a tummy tuck as we speak...never thought I'd see the day when we'd consider PS but here we are. Awesome results.

As for the w/d, get front loading with the big drawer underneath. I'm bored by appliances in general, but man was that $$ well spent. It makes loading/unloading so easy (drawer adds ht, and there's nothing like a front loader) and it is worth every penny never to ever hear an unbalanced load echoing it's complaints throughout the household.

It's easy to get all self-righetous about PS when you're 20 and hot..."I'll never do that!" Quite another when age/children/life catch up to you... (Yep, it can happen to you.) :(

Hope your wife recovers quickly and as painlessly as possible. That's supposed to be one of the most painful recoveries. Let us know how the final results are. :)

You're right, GE is ubiquitous, and I've had similar problems with GE appliances I've personally owned.

I sell the Whirlpool family of brands, many of which you mentioned preferring: Whirlpool, Jenn-air, KitchenAid, Magic Chef, Maytag, Estate and Amana. I sell them nationally and online. No matter where you live in the US, you can buy these brands and have them shipped factory-direct to your home.

www.totalkitchenstore.com

Jason

Buy the appliances from an FB in foreclosure. ;) Before the bank takes back house, they'll be desperate to sell.....

It's not urgent so you have plenty of time to check Craigslist. :)

Patience is the key.

We are happy with the Bosch dishwasher. Everything else from the Sears outlet off of Morena Blvd. is working just fine.

After much research and shopping around, we went to Yingst Appliance in Vista based on a recommendation from a friend. Family run business, very knowledgeable, not pushy, best prices we could find, amazing customer service.

Always use GE appliance, it such a great brand and timely shipping. whatever the appliance is user friendly and very helpful. Almost all major appliance like Whirlpool, LG, Maytag, Miele are very nice. http://www.steecos.com/appliances/108/Ga...