Please help me make an admittedly boring decision - whether to replace my washing machine with a cheap and cheerful zanussi at circa £200 and accept it may conk out after 2 years or spend more...

[hmc]

Background (scintillating this one, sorry )- purchased a Bosch, not long ago, circa 3 years. Can't remember cost but probably £500 ish. Today the f**ker broke down again (for 3rd time in 6 months) - I can't be ARSED (aggghhh!)

Decided to replace it - cannot be doing with it. It is obviously a dud.

Having looked on John Lewis website am thinking might be better just buying the cheap zanussi for £200 with the 2 year guarantee, accepting that it might well go kaput at 2 years and 1 month, in which case I'll replace with another cheapie (not good for landfill )

...am put off buying a good make (always though Bosch were meant to be quality btw!) since my recent experience has not served me well.

Not interested in paying to extend warranty, becaue when I rang to enquire about that apparently there is no guaranteed response time within which they are obliged to send a repairman. You could be waiting severals days. Bugger that for a game of soldiers!

So would it be irrational to go for the cheap as chips approach with a view to replacing as soon as it conks?

Watching this with interest as my Zanussi (5 yrs old? 4? who knows) has just conked and dh and I are having the cheap vs expensive row discussion.

I have a Hotpoint Aquarius washing machine and it's still going strong 10 yrs, 2 children and 4 house moves later. My parents' Hotpoint is over 25 yrs old although it has been repaired twice. It definitely looks dated but it does the job! My mum can't wait for it to conk out - I made her promise to buy a new one instead of repairing it but it's proving to be a lengthy wait.

I have to say, I've been amazed by the reliability of Zanussi machines. My current one cost £30 second hand, over 2 years ago - and it was reportedly 15 years old when I bought it. It's never paused for thought. I won't be spending hundreds on a replacement when the time comes - although if I win the lottery in the meantime (and only if this one died, cos I'm tight!) I'd buy a Miele.

2 hour delivery slot - that is ace!

Don't get a Miele. I bought a Miele washing machine and tumble dryer less than 5 years ago and they are both dead now. Replaced with Bosch - here's hoping.

The general consensus when I asked around and googled a lot was that Miele used to last for ages (I know my Mum's did) but they don't any more.

Anything except a Miele, I'd say

We have Siemens and the guarantee is 2 years. Maybe decide what you're willing to pay per year of guarantee - if it's £100, then buy the £200 one with 2 years or the JL £300 one with 3 Years. Count anything on top as a bonus!

Zanussis used to be v. reliable but according to our local WM repair man they were taken over a couple of years ago by Electrolux or someone and now they're crap. He said Miele are the best, have heard other people say that too. We bought a Bosch 6 months ago, so far so good....

My first Zanussi lasted 23 years, current one (again Zanussi) is in it's fifth year, only thing that's gone wrong is that it doesn't beep when it's finished anymore.

Hope to God I haven't jinxed it by saying that.....

Goodness Bella!

You can get Siemens ones with a 15-20 year guarantee. They are around a grand though.

I got a Hoover WM from Argos about 6 years ago...it's still fine, replaced the door hinge a few weeks ago as it sheared off, it could use a new seal as well but that's only a fiver.

It started to go wrong recently but I took the back off and cleaned out the draining sump thingy and it's fine.

HMC - I'd be more interested in sussing out what's wrong with yours tbh, before you chuck it. What are its symptoms?

Oh no honestly Flight - I am not going there. It has gone wrong too often - its getting personal (i hate it ) - it has to go.

Interesting about the 15 years guarantee.....

I know, hmc. And we also had about £300 of repairs done on the tumble dryer, so spent about £1500 in total and the whole lot was deemed 'uneconomic to repair' by the Miele engineer. Complained bitterly to them, esp after I found out there's a known problem with the condenser tumble dryers (a filter that clogs but can't be cleaned by the user) but all they would offer me was £80 off a new machine and some free detergent.

Told them where they could stick that

!

I am definitely angling towards cheap as chips - then it is simple, when it breaks, out with the old and in with the new

Worried about the post which highlighted shredded clothes and washing catching fire however!

I bought a cheap zanussi expecting it only to last a few years. I couldn't afford anything else at the time.

It seems to be constantly on and it has served me well. I've had it 6 years so far and (fingers crossed) it's still going strong..!

We bought a cheap Beko and I hate it more than any other object in the entire universe. It randomly decides not to bother with the spin cycle, it periodically gives off a mysterious smell and/or fills the drum with a cloud of fumes (which Beko keep insisting is 'just the motor carbons bedding in' even though we've had the damn thing two years), and apart from the 30-minute small-load quick wash, which is admittedly exceedingly useful, all its programmes take about two hours. It was a replacement for a fabulous Indesit that had worked beautifully for 15 years and I kick myself daily - we rang around to get a repair man out for the Indesit and nobody would come because of its age, but when they came to take it away and deliver the b@stard Beko, all that was wrong with it was that the belt had come off the drum. We could have fixed it ourselves if we'd actually looked behind it rather than listening to the various repair men insisting that it would be cheaper to buy a new one

So anyway. Avoid cheapo Beko!

Yep, I think that just about sums up where I am on my purchase decision right now!

Anothe vote for Zanussi.

phone up a random repair man and ask what washing machine he has!

My Zanussi broke a few months ago but I'd had it 9 years and nothing went wrong with it in all that time.
The repairman who came out to look at it said if you can't afford a Miele, then Zanussi or Bosch are the ones to go for.

I replaced with a second hand, but hardly ever used Bosch for £50 as it was cheaper than repairing the Zanussi.

Had our Meile for 16 years after the Hotpoint from Hell finally gave up
( We had a warranty renewed every year on it and eventually ins co who ran warranty rang us and asked if we would accept £300 to dump it as we had had 36 call outs in 6 years at their expense )

We took the money and put it towards a Meile which was the one the repair recommended (a very good friend by then )

Fabulous machine.

gah !

Our Zanussi is very reliable - has been going strong for 5 years now - however I can't wait for it to die as it takes nearly 2.5 hrs to do an ordinary 40 degree cotton wash - drives me INSANE.