Easiest, simplest top loader washer that one can repair themselves?

 I'm in market for cheap top loader washer..... live
alone so it wont be used a lot.

However, I'm curious if any brands are more "modular"
or easier to self-repair than others?

Does a $400 Whirlpool washer have direct drive ( no
belts) .....and a modular design for easy repair?

 

How about a $30 used unit from craigslist, use it a few years until it dies,
then buy another $30 unit from craigslist?  Seems a lot more frugal than
gambling $400 on something that might possibly be easy to repair, or maybe
not.  -Dave

 

But I live in a small town so that buying form
Craiglist means I have to drive tow hrs away to pickup
and haul back

 

Well, I can see how a four hour drive to get a washer might be somewhat of a
burden.  On the other hand, if you buy a $400 washer and it breaks down, and
you can repair it yourself, how many hours are you going to spend doing the
repair - taking it apart to determine the problem, getting a replacement
part (if one is even available, and how far will you have to drive to do
that?), making the repair, and putting the machine back together?

Washers, like any other machine, will break down eventually, but in my
experience, it isn't all that often - on the order of once a decade, maybe
less often.  On the other hand, I buy basic appliances, stuff without all
the electronics and touch pads and automatic features.

If you want a new washer, go to the store, buy a basic machine that has the
features you want (I'd suggest two or three water levels, and three wash
cycles - normal, delicate, and heavy duty, but you can probably do with only
two) and move on to something else.  I'd stick with a name brand, but before
buying anything, I'd research it on the web to see if the model you chose is
prone to problems.

Whether Whirlpool makes a direct drive machine is one question, what some
store will sell it for is another.  I think most machines are belt driven,
and usually the most common technology is the cheapest.

 Lou wrote:


OTOOH, I regard the purchase of any used appliance as problematical and
assume that it works only marginally, if at all, and set the price I'm
willing to pay accordingly.  If a washing machine doesn't work, you have
a really good shot at having to empty it by hand, especially nice if you
have a full load of whites being bleached.

--
Cheers,
Bev
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
"The language of victimization is infinitely extensible."  -- Me