Hi James, The better used gas dryers you posted are the Whirlpools and maybe the SQ, Skip the GE and FD.

As far as washers you might want to consider fixing the KM you have, it probably has a clutch problem.

Best new would be a SQ FL machine if you have money to spend, next best would be a SQ TL model TC5.

Miele is very good but small in capacity and very expensive to buy and service, Think Mercedes Benz.

PS, I can't think of a good Admiral washer or dryer EVER as being reliable.

John L.

Good Point Glen, I was only thinking about the Norge-Maytag built Admirals, Yes Admirals after 2006 are the same as basic WP machines and have the same advantages and the washers are crap after 2010, dryers are OK.

John L.

Speed Queen dryers have an inferior thermostatic system that can often result in crispy clothes.  A Whirlpool-sourced dryer, which is easily identified by the top-mounted lint screen, is a tried and true design and a far better option.

Do Not Have thermostat problems and do not ruin clothing !!!!!

As a Factory Authorized SQ servicer I don't ever recall a service call about a SQ dryer ruining clothing.

All SQ dryers also have a lower heat setting if desired. 

Yes SQ dryers are serious dryers that are designed to dry clothing quickly and well, and there are fancy dryers on the market that have ultra low heat settings if that is important to someone.

If you look at the construction and specs of a SQ dryer as far as airflow, heater size and operating temperature it is almost identical to Maytag SOS dryers from 1976-the 80s.

John L.

Yes John, absolutely the SQ drying system works reliably as designed.  Even with our AmanaQueen dryer, as many times as I'd ask the techs to check it out during routine maintenance under our extended warranty and service plan, they never found anything wrong.  Yet the exhaust from the dryer would almost always smell like the contents inside it were being ironed, and even the originally pliable dryer balls turned hard right away.  If I wanted to subject my clothing to that sort of treatment, I'd dry them at a laundromat where they'd get similarly incinerated.

The SQ system may work reliably as it was designed to do, but with each load it creates a guessing game for the user compared to the set-and-forget moisture sensing systems that most other manufacturers have wisely chosen to use instead.  The Whirlpool Duet and Frigidaire Affinity dryers that we owned after dumping the Amana pair never dried clothes to a crisp, and the replacement set of dryer balls remained soft over the years that we had those machines.   No one will ever convince me that the SQ drying system isn't poorly engineered, regardless of its ability to cook clothing and rarely if ever require repairs to keep on doing so. 

I use "Delicate" temp for all loads on my Speed Queen dryer.  For a load of clothes I set the auto dry very close to cool down, as shown in the photo.  This gets the clothes completely dry in around 40 min.  For jeans and towels I set it to the "star" or (at most) between the "star" and "less dry".  I find that I get good results this way and it doesn't over dry or get the clothes too hot.  But if I were to use "Regular" temp and set it between "more dry" and "less dry" (as I imagine most people would) then my dryer would get my clothes pretty hot and would over dry.

I bought this dryer used for around $300.  I think your parents could get a great deal on buying a used dryer like this.

You may find a Whirlpool dryer with a moisture sensor to be more accurate and should work well.  But I don't think either of the WP dryers you linked to have moisture sensors -- they use thermostatic auto dry like my SQ.  But those Kenmores may have moisture sensors, I don't know.

Mark, that is a good work-around, but the typical user is not going to select "Delicate" when they're drying jeans, nor should they have to.   Any system that demands counter-intuitive accommodation from the user is not worth considering, IMO. 

I'm pretty sure your Kenmore washer is old enough to be Whirlpool-sourced.  It's not belt driven, but apparently there are distinctions between the terms the older "direct drive" and the current "VMW" (vertical modular design) systems, the former being super reliable but easy to work on if necessary, and the latter not as durable but still good. 

Others here can advise on which type of system your Kenmore has but if I had to guess, I'd say it's old enough to be a direct drive machine.  I'm more of a belt drive enthusiast so don't quote me on that.