Good to hear your fridge is holding up fine—honestly, refurbished appliances can be a decent gamble. I picked up a used washer once, and yeah, washers do seem trickier. It started making weird noises after about 6 months, but nothing catastrophic. Still, saved a good chunk of money overall. Probably depends on who's refurbishing it and how thorough they are... Glad your experience was smooth though; gives me some confidence to maybe try again down the line.
"Probably depends on who's refurbishing it and how thorough they are..."
Yeah, that's exactly it. I grabbed a refurbished dryer a couple years back from a local appliance shop—small place, family-run—and it's still going strong. The guy even threw in a 6-month warranty, which made me feel better about the whole thing. Honestly, if you can find someone reputable who stands behind their work, used appliances can be a real win. Just gotta do your homework first...
I've had mixed luck with refurbished stuff myself. Bought a fridge from a big-box refurb place once, and it died literally two weeks after the warranty expired... talk about timing, right? But then again, my brother picked up a used washer from a local guy who really knew his stuff, and it's been humming along for years now. Like you said:
"Honestly, if you can find someone reputable who stands behind their work, used appliances can be a real win."
Definitely pays to ask around and check reviews first. Saving money's great, but not if you're just kicking the can down the road.
I've had similar experiences myself—bought a refurbished dishwasher that was a total lemon, but my dryer from a local refurbisher has been going strong for years. Like you said, vetting the seller carefully makes all the difference... definitely worth the extra homework.
I've had mixed results myself with refurbished appliances. A few years back, I bought a used fridge from a reputable local refurbisher—checked reviews, asked around, did all the due diligence—and it still gave me headaches within six months. Ended up costing almost as much in repairs as buying new would've. On the other hand, I've grabbed some used washers and dryers for rental properties, and they've run without a hitch for years.
I think it really comes down to the type of appliance and how much risk you're comfortable with. Something like a fridge or dishwasher, where reliability is crucial, might justify the extra upfront cost of buying new. But for simpler appliances or secondary uses (like rentals or vacation homes), refurbished can be a smart choice if you vet carefully... as long as you're prepared for the occasional lemon.
