Best way to deal with fridge purchase

[dragonwalker]

I live in a 2B2B condo where myself and another adult live and share a refrigerator. The fridge was part of the unit when I bought it 2 years ago and appears to have been manufactured in 2006. I recently noticed food and drinks expiring well before the expiration date and felt that the temperature was a little warm. I bought a fridge thermometer and confirmed the temperature is sitting in the low 40s, above the 40 maximum it should be at. I adjusted the setting to maximum cold and that did bring it down to high 30s around 38-39 but it’s not consistent. The rubber seal around the edge also has areas that have been damaged so I think cold is also leaking through that.

I called a repair place who said it’s almost certainly not worth repairing. Here’s the thing, there is a decent chance in the next 1-2 years I may be moving and/or selling my unit and going somewhere I won’t need this fridge. I would really like one with an icemaker and water dispenser unless there is an economical way to get a separate one without to much hassle and cost of dealing with a separate unit.

Just wanted to see if the best route is to go cheap like close to $1K, better as in $1K-$2K. I really don’t see myself going over $2K especially since there is a high likelihood of me not needing it when I move out. Should I consider used? I’m doubtful as I’m not sure what to check for and have almost no recourse if it turned out bad. Do they sell  any good brands to consider or any to avoid? I think it’s also likely I’d also be getting a countertop depth model since there are only 2 adults and the space is a little tight. 

[GilesMM]

We usually go for Open Box items at Best Buy or Sears Outlet.  You can save a fortune just by getting one with a scratch on the side which you will never see.  Plenty under $1000 with an icemaker.

[snic]

Why not try to replace to door seal and see if that helps? It's (usually) a fairly easy DIY job. There are instructions available online.

[jnw]

Just under 40F is fine.  One thing to compare is the efficiency of a 2006 fridge to a 2023 fridge.  I know refrigerators have become dramatically more efficient over the years.  Perhaps a savings in electricty will pay for the fridge over the years? I am not sure though how far behind 2006 fridges are though.

[Freedomin5]

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore sells used furniture and appliances. That may be another place to look for a good quality used fridge. They also check the stuff to make sure it’s all in working order before offering it for sale.

[Metalcat]

People are always selling perfectly good used fridges when they upgrade their kitchens.

[curious_george]

Why not try to replace to door seal and see if that helps? It's (usually) a fairly easy DIY job. There are instructions available online.

Sometimes the seals can be repaired with some glue and imagination also.

Part of the seal on my fridge door broke off and I just glued that shit back on. It may look ghetto as hell, but it still works and now matches everything else I own that also looks ghetto as hell, lol.

If this fails, yeah, just replace the seal. It's an easy DIY job.

[dragonwalker]

I should clarify about the door seal. The section that is problematic is about a 1-2 inch section that got mangled when the fridge door was caught on the open drawer. When closed the sealing around the area does cover that small section but it's not completely flush. The condition of the rest of the seal looks like in good condition. Could that small section be causing a 4-5 degree temperature difference? 

[Hypersion]

I bought a nice refrigerator for around a $1000 and resold it for $500 a few years later when my new house already had a bigger refrigerator. 

[dcheesi]

Piggybacking on this: our "new" place has an old fridge. It keeps itself under 40F in the fridge section so far (Summer is coming...). But the freezer, while well below freezing, doesn't really get down to 0F or into the recommended freezer range on the little thermometers I bought. How much of a concern is this?

There's a chance we'll replace it anyway (DW isn't a fan of the current one, and we could free up some precious kitchen space with a smaller model). But should I be thinking about replacing sooner rather than later?

To OP: avoid Samsung! And consider if the extra points of failure introduced by all those dispensers are really worth it (maybe it is, just saying, it's more $$$ and more stuff to break)

[MayDay]

We had a string of appliances fail a couple years ago. At the beginning I painstakingly researched options and features and read reviews.

By the end I bought the cheapest reasonable option at Costco that didn't have uniformly terrible reviews.

That last one was a fridge and I'm still completely happy with it! It's a stainless steel side by side with ice maker, whirlpool brand. I think it was cheaper by a lot than the more trendy French door style but I works perfectly fine!

Personally I would not worry too much about whether or not you move in 2 years. Just buy the most reasonably priced fridge that meets your needs, whether it's used or new. If your fridge can barely keep food cold on the coldest setting, and you've made any easy weatherstrip repairs, now is the time to start shopping so you can get the cheapest option even if it has a less-than-immeadiate lead time IMO.

[Zikoris]

I'm also a big fan of buying scratch/dent appliances brand new at massive discounts because some idiot in the warehouse accidentally kicked something with steel-toed boots.