Buy new energy efficient washer or cheap used one

[Oak]

Hi fellow Mustiachians!

I'm an avid reader and first-time poster here but I've got a dilemma that I thought I come to the pro's.

We are moving into an apartment in one week and need to bring a washer and dryer with us.

MY question is do we try and find one used cheaper ( of course this is the way to go) or but new that is more energy efficient?

I guess buying slightly used energy efficient would be the best option but can we take that off the table for now?

Background. We are going to be renting there for a 1 or 1.5 years while we save up to buy our first house. We would like to buy something we can house hack - live in part and rent out the other part. We are planning on living in that property for 4 years total before buying or building a  more long term home. I am leaning towards waiting until we buy a house to see if we need one then before buying new. If not then just wait until we move again.

Any thoughts here?
Buy new efficient or older and really cheap

[seemsright]

The beauty of the MMM lifestyle is you have choice. Sure you could get a used washer and dryer and maybe that is the route you go. But you do have the choice of buying a new set.

The cost difference is not going to be 'that' different. With you having a savings goal of buying a house I suggest you buy used and put that difference into the house fund.

Make sure you WANT to own a house...owning a house is STUPID EXPENSIVE!!!! and that is not the mortgage, taxes etc.. The maintenance and the problems you will get to deal with is a pain in the ass. I am over owning a house. When the kid goes off to college the for sale sign goes up.

[Cranky]

Washers aren’t *that* energy intensive. Buy a basic one, on sale, or second hand, and wash in cold water. Hang most of your clothes to dry.

[Another Reader]

Pre-2010 washers are much more solid and will last forever.  Washing clothes does not consume a lot of energy.  Older washers consume more water, but actually get the clothes clean.  You can use cheaper detergent as well.  Look for a used Whirlpool washer or a Kenmore made by Whirlpool made in 2009 or earlier.

[pecunia]

I went shopping for a washer 5 years ago.  Do you remember the old Maytag ads?  They featured this guy who fixed Maytags.  He was touted as the loneliest guy in town.  I've heard there was some truth to that.  They were built well.  The washer salesman confided in me that newer washers are not built as well.  They now sell washer / dryers as planned obsolescence appliances rather than just functional tools.  It surprised me that they sell by style and not function and feature different finishes.

Well - What did I want the washer for?  I wanted it to wash clothes.  Did I care if it was pretty? No.  Did I want a lot of features? No.  I wanted something heavy duty and simple.  If it does break, I wanted the possibility of getting it fixed. 

I got to thinking a bit more.  What do they have in laundromats?  These washers are abused.  These washers have to be repairable.

Maytag was purchased by Whirlpool and are no longer the washers they once were.  They sell to the crowd who wants microprocessor technology.  I ended up with a Speed Queen.  Not much plastic on it at all.  Basic white washer.  Stainless steel tub. It looks like those in the laundromat.  It's controls are through easily replaceable relays. It did not promise to save water.  It washes our clothes and hasn't broken.  I've been happy.

Your washer story and possible results will vary.
 

[Oak]

Wow thanks for all the fast responses.

I did a quick search today and it seems that the vast majority of homes to buy come with a washer and dryer so it seems like I will be selling something in about a years time.

@seemsright I really appreciate your perspective here. I'm certainly over the house is your biggest asset myth stuff. All of our friends bought 7 years ago right after they got married and we continue to be the odd ducks who paid off debt and saved up a full emergency fund first. I just got done reading Set for Life by Scott Trench and I took away a lot from it. After talking family dreams/goals with my wife, we are going to try the house hack to hopefully get rid of or greatly reduce that big expense for a time in our life.

I am leaning towards buying an older used machine and then selling it for probably close to the same amount we paid for it ( like how MMM talks about using Craiglist to temporarily store things he isn't using : )

Thanks again, everyone. I'm close to reading every blog post from the beginning and looking forward to diving more into the forums now!

[RetiredAt63]

The biggest expense for a washing machine is the hot water.  If you wash your clothes in cold water and on a gentle setting (they can soak for a while if they are really dirty) you will save money on both the running expenses and because clothes last longer.

[SunnyDays]

Definitely get a good used one and just wash as infrequently as possible with full loads and it'll be fine.  Showers and toilets use up a lot more water than washers.  My set is a Kenmore from 1987, and it's still going strong.  Solid with few features but I don't even use most of the few it has.  I expect it to last damn near forever!  (My fridge is also a Kenmore from 1995, with 2 repairs and I plan to keep it a long time too.  They just don't make appliances like they used to.)

[MrSal]

Washer doesn't waste that much energy - hot water and this comes from the water heater.

A full cycle with cold or hot water (unless the washer heats the water itself which unless its european washer its unlikely) is about 0.3 kWh per cycle. Nothing to worry about.

However you can save on the water heater by not using as much hot water. I always use the cold setting to wash clothes, unless they are whites and/or really really dirty and I use a warm water setting. For most part I use cold though.

You would save much more by using a European style dryer though. American dryers use electric resistance and therefore use a lot of electricity (2 to 4 kWh per cycle). A European dryer is just a heat pump, therefore the usage of electricity is about 25% of a "normal" american dryer. You can already see some of these european styles across big box stores. However they are kinda expensive starting at 1000$ or so.

Another advantage of european dryer is not vent needed.

[Cadman]

Pecunia hit the nail right on the head. Today's washers are not designed for the long run. If I had to buy something 'late model', it would definitely be a mechanical timer Speed Queen.

While gas dryers are cheaper to run than electric (if you have nat gas available), an electric dryer is so dead simple to repair, and is 100% efficient, that it can be an excellent choice if you must dry indoors. Even better if you have PV panels. One thing I did to cut dry time was to pick up a Euro-style clothes spinner/extractor- beneficial whether your clothes end up in a dryer or on the line.

[csprof]

Nobody has asked you the most important question: how many loads of wash do you do per week?  And do you hang dry or use a dryer?

The more you do the more efficient a washer you will benefit from. If you dryer dry, a washer with a high speed spin cycle will cut drying times and costs.

You can calculate the cost difference and operating cost difference over two years...

[frugaldrummer]

When I moved into my house 7 years ago I had an appliance guy  hook up my washer as he was doing some other work for me. My washer was a pre-2010 model. His advice to me was to baby that thing as new washers were crap. He said never let the lid slam as that was the thing most likely to need repairs.

[WSUCoug1994]

I had a washer/dryer repair man who was a part of my extended family.  He said buy the ones with the fewest amount of buttons - the fewer buttons the longer they last.  I ended up buying mine at a Sears scratch and dent and paid 50% of what they were listed for new.  I have one dial and three buttons on the washer and one dial and one button on the dryer (yes I dry some things) and that was back in 2004.  Haven't had a problem yet.....knock on wood.