Whiteware???

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Hobchild

623 posts

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#140774 19-Feb-2014 21:56

Hello fellow geekzoners, my partner and I have just finally bought our first house.

But unfortunately every place I've ever rented has included whiteware. So I'm looking for some advice on what to buy, we need a fridge/freezer, washing machine and dryer, we don't need big or fancy as it's just the two of us (for now anyway

) but we will need to buy new so we can put it on hire purchase as every single cent we have will be spent on the deposit, lawyers fees, builders reports etc etc.

What we are looking for is a 250+ litre fridge/freezer. Not too much bigger as there's not too much room for it.
A 5.5kg preferably top load washing machine and just a small dryer. We also need a microwave.

Our budget is between $2000-$3000, obviously we will take power and water consumption into account but the advice I'm looking for is are there any brands I should steer clear from ie has anyone had trouble with getting parts or have they been really expensive or are there any other problems that can arise. How much money should I be looking at spending ie what should I spend more/less on. Also should we consider a washer/dryer combo, they are priced on the higher side but if the advantages outweigh the disadvantages then we would definitely consider them as a viable option.

Thanks in advance for the help.

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4244 posts

Uber Geek

#990804 19-Feb-2014 22:16

i would go into one of the big stores tell them what you want and then negotiate like mad for a really good deal, for what you are buying you should have no problem and if they dont, mention the fact that you have other stores to visit.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

mattwnz

20162 posts

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#990810 19-Feb-2014 22:23

You shouldn't need a dryer if you have a house, you use the washing line to dry things. In this weather they dry very quickly and you save on power too. Also you would be better paying cash to get the best deal. Microwaves don't cost much, stores often have panasonic white models really cheap. F&P are ok for an ok washing machine. I wouldn't suggest a combo drive as they will be expensive and not sure how effective they are. If you are getting a dryer, a vented model maybe best so you don't get a lot of condensation in the house, but they aren't cheap.

Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#990811 19-Feb-2014 22:25

vexxxboy: i would go into one of the big stores tell them what you want and then negotiate like mad for a really good deal, for what you are buying you should have no problem and if they dont, mention the fact that you have other stores to visit.

Oh yeah I will definitely be doing that, I enjoy it in fact. I have no worries about my negotiation skills I just don't want to end up with a lemon.

mattwnz

20162 posts

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#990812 19-Feb-2014 22:32

Hobchild:
vexxxboy: i would go into one of the big stores tell them what you want and then negotiate like mad for a really good deal, for what you are buying you should have no problem and if they dont, mention the fact that you have other stores to visit.

Oh yeah I will definitely be doing that, I enjoy it in fact. I have no worries about my negotiation skills I just don't want to end up with a lemon.

Probably avoid house brands then, and go for the better brands. Go to the library too to look at consumer magazine for their reviews.Also ask some repairers as to what they recommend, as they know what brands come in needing the most repairs.

Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#990815 19-Feb-2014 22:38

mattwnz: You shouldn't need a dryer if you have a house, you use the washing line to dry things. In this weather they dry very quickly and you save on power too. Also you would be better paying cash to get the best deal. Microwaves don't cost much, stores often have panasonic white models really cheap. F&P are ok for an ok washing machine. I wouldn't suggest a combo drive as they will be expensive and not sure how effective they are. If you are getting a dryer, a vented model maybe best so you don't get a lot of condensation in the house, but they aren't cheap.

I agree washing lines are great and currently we use clothes horses in our conservatory as well so about 90% of our washing is dried without power but the new place does not have a conservatory so the dryer will be used as a back up on rainy days. I know paying cash would get me a better deal but I can be pretty ruthless with my negotiating so I'm not too worried. The washing machine and dryer will be located in the garage I think. Thanks for the advice about a vented dryer, I'll look into that.

Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#990816 19-Feb-2014 22:40

mattwnz:
Hobchild:
vexxxboy: i would go into one of the big stores tell them what you want and then negotiate like mad for a really good deal, for what you are buying you should have no problem and if they dont, mention the fact that you have other stores to visit.

Oh yeah I will definitely be doing that, I enjoy it in fact. I have no worries about my negotiation skills I just don't want to end up with a lemon.

Probably avoid house brands then, and go for the better brands. Go to the library too to look at consumer magazine for their reviews.Also ask some repairers as to what they recommend, as they know what brands come in needing the most repairs.

That's a great idea, I might do just that. Hopefully they won't mislead me into buying a lemon so I'll need their services though.

Sideface

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#990818 19-Feb-2014 22:41

AVOID washer/dryer combos - they are expensive and inefficient, very slow to dry.

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Hobchild

623 posts

Ultimate Geek

#990822 19-Feb-2014 22:49

Sideface: AVOID washer/dryer combos - they are expensive and inefficient, very slow to dry.

I thought that might be the case. Thanks for that.

vexxxboy

4244 posts

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#990829 19-Feb-2014 23:08

also when buying dryers avoid the ones with all the flashing lights and automatic drying sensors etc to complicated for what is a simple job, drying clothes . We have an Award brand dryer and it has 2 heat settings and a dial you set the time to and it drys clothes really quickly.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

MikeB4

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#990857 20-Feb-2014 06:55

We have Bosch Appliances and are without doubt the best we have ever had.

JayADee

2148 posts

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#990859 20-Feb-2014 07:08

I'd say the same for the washer. Stick to the old style dial ones, avoid the electronic ones like Fisher and Paykel. Our Simpson Esprit 550 (a 5.5 kg top loader) has served us well for 11 years. The F&P before it had the circuit board go twice within a couple years and we got rid of it. I've had no luck with F&P with problems with their dishwasher, range hood, gas stove top and clothes washer. Their electric oven has so far been working fine.

Our LG fridge/freezer has mostly been good too, bar a bad design on the crisper drawer that caused a piece to snap off but the rest is well designed to take apart for cleaning.

Our Panasonic microwave has also been chugging along brilliantly with daily use for 12 years and wasn't even all that expensive at the time.

timmmay

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#990870 20-Feb-2014 07:30

I have F&P appliances, at six years old they seem like they're going to need replacement before long. The drier in particular is making weird noises, as is the fridge.

We got a Bosch dishwasher recently, it's awesome. I'll probably go all bosch from now on.

JayADee

2148 posts

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#990879 20-Feb-2014 08:03

timmmay: I have F&P appliances, at six years old they seem like they're going to need replacement before long. The drier in particular is making weird noises, as is the fridge.

We got a Bosch dishwasher recently, it's awesome. I'll probably go all bosch from now on.

Exactly. They don't last.

scuwp

3885 posts

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#990883 20-Feb-2014 08:24

No complaints about the good old F&P from me. First washing machine just gave up the ghost after 15 years, replaced with another, and no issues with anything else, all F&P, works just great IMO.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

bazzer

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#990950 20-Feb-2014 09:56

Ditto. My two F&P fridges are nearly 10 years old, no problems at all. Same with our washing machine.

We didn't bother getting a dryer at first, too many other things to spend money on with a new house. The entry level ones vent out the front which I didn't want, even if it were my garage.

The only thing I would say, and maybe it's even more true if you're doing HP/interest free etc., is that I wish I hadn't bought entry level appliances. I thought I had to because I wouldn't have any money with bills, mortgage etc but now I realise that the money side of things sorts itself out eventually and I wish I had a better washing machine, for example, but the one we have works well enough so there's no point "upgrading".

Of course, if you're borrowing to buy appliances then getting more expensive ones will add even more interest cost. Don't forget though that when you have a mortgage everything you buy is essentially bought with "borrowed" money (i.e. money you could've used to pay off your mortgage). I don't know what kind of interest deals you'll get but you might be better off trying to borrow the extra $3k against your house, at least that way you'll only be paying 6% interest.

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