Craigslist is a good way to go, or a used appliance shop. They'll often get units in with burnt out computer boards on trade, replace the board and re-sell, at which point the appliance will probably last as long as a new one. We got a side by side fridge and a smooth top range for our rental for $200 each and they've been going strong for a few years. Not so lucky with the cheapo dishwasher purchased new from Home Depot that we put in there. OTOH, we did spend about $700 on our Maytag DW, and similar amounts on our washer/dryer new, and they are doing well after 8 years *knock wood*
We did have a new range kick the bucket after 2 years and it didn't seem worth replacing. Since I cook A LOT I insisted on a semi-fancy range, so we just sprang for the extended warranty and hope it outlives that by several years.
I guess the moral of the story is that it's a crapshoot.