Hi, I am new to the community.  In the last nine years, my husband and I have been replacing our newer not serviceable appliances with older ones that can be repaired.  It all started after we had three basic toasters fail in four years.  

We had a Frigidaire Gallery Commercial Duty top load washer and gas dryer that we purchased in 2004.  They were moderately used and last year both began failing.  My husband replaced the solenoids on the dryer himself, but on December 23rd a gas leak started.  The total cost of repairs was $300 and we were told that this failure would likely happen again.  We decided that the cost for repairs was more than we wished to spend and that a new set would need to be purchased.  The research began, but in the meantime we would need a dryer until we could decide on a set.

We went to local used appliance stores looking for a temporary replacement and found a an older electric Kenmore dryer with great style for $89.  Luckily we have both gas and electric hookups in our laundry room.  The dryer is great condition inside and out and works perfectly.  The research continues, speaking to friends and relatives about their laundry sets… most of them are happy.  We then hit the big box stores to look at Kenmore, GE, Whirlpool, Frigidaire and Maytags, but are not sold on any of the newer HE or top loader machines.  

An internet search on the Kenmore Dryer helped me identify the year of production and that is how I found this site.  I realized that finding the matching washer to my Kenmore dryer would take some time but that anything of new production was off the table. My husband grew up with mid 70s Kenmores and I grew up with late 60s Maytags.  Why didn't we think of this before?  I wish I would have found this site sooner as my Mother-in-Law’s Kenmores both failed last year and she had them hauled away when she purchased her new set.  

Over the next month, I began looking every few days in the used appliance stores and searching daily on Craigslist.  We started hitting estate and garage sales on the weekends for an older Kenmore set, as I was totally focused on Kenmores.  I finally got a lucky break on January 24th and found a set of Maytags posted on Craigslist that looked similar to the ones I grew up with and were only 20 minutes away. They looked extremely clean in the picture and I hoped that the inside would match the outside. I contacted the seller one hour after they were listed and picked them up the same day.  They are in fantastic condition and needed very little cleaning.   

I joined the forum, downloaded a couple of brochures and through searches of this site I think I was able to determine the year of manufacture.  If anyone has additional information, my husband and I would be grateful.

Washer - LA408 (no series number) 542426 CG    (April 1979)?

Dryer     - LDG608  Series 01    557840 CL       (June 1979)?

Thanks This site is AWESOME!

Inside of the washer.

Cleaned up and in service! 

Thanks for the warm welcome!   So far so good, they seem to operate perfectly and I love the Electronic Control on the dryer. We are so lucky to have found them and this site.  

danemodsandy,

Over the last several years we have replaced most of our small appliances as they failed with older more stylish (and or course repairable) versions . When our Bunn drip coffee maker died we replaced it with a Sunbeam Coffeemaster C20B.  Dishes and silverware were the first to bite us!  Next was stand mixers...for some reason they keep following me home. 

We inherited vintage stereo equipment from family and have purchased some at thrift stores.  We still have and play all of our records.  I vacuum with an Electrolux Model G.  Sorry, I could go on and on here - LOL!

How right you are, it seems that we keep going further back in time.  We love the things we grew up with and most of them were from the 50s and 60s even though we are children of the 70s.

You nailed it with how we feel about the big box stores.  None of the items we looked at seemed as if they were built to last.   Things in my house were repaired, not thrown away.

We have embraced the bug.  It is nice to know that we are not alone.  A Kenmore Series 90 model 110.72690100 (Suds Saver with Pentaswirl agitator) washer tried to follow me home from a foreclosure clean out sale yesterday morning.  At the time I did not know what a Suds Saver was but now I must have one!  OUCH!

Carolyn

DigAPony
We will definitely do the recommended cleaning and waxing. Thanks.

Christina
Thanks. The same goes for me.  I have always liked the styles of the 50s and 60s.  My husband and I concentrated primarily on purchasing furniture at the beginning and have slowly been moving onto kitchenalia and now appliances.

Ovrphil
Too late...you are not kidding!  I was on for hours last night reading and looking at photos.  OOPS - I forgot to check my post for replies.  I think I may have fried my brain a little bit.  

rberryiii3
That is fantastic! A dishwasher is next on my list.

Rick
I definitely suffer from vintageitis!  Luckily, my husband does too.

Symptoms - yes, yes and yes.

Side effects - I have all three but #2 is the worst.  I like to think that things follow me home.  This is especially true of stand mixers, toasters and coffee pots.

Treatment Options - that seems way too easy. Done!

Long Term Prognosis - Darn!  No cure, but manageable.  I can accept that.

Leprechauns? Cool, being Irish I will feel right at home.