Owner of $150 used washer weighs a $500 repair against replacing it

"Would fixing it just be wasting money?"

A homeowner who was quoted $500 to repair a secondhand washing machine asked Reddit for guidance, and commenters suggested the problem might be solved for far less.

What happened

In a post to Reddit's r/BuyItForLife community, the homeowner said the top-loading Whirlpool, complete with a center agitator, is more than 20 years old.

The poster said the machine had been dependable until it stopped progressing through its wash cycles.

They wrote, "Our top-load, center-agitator 20+ year old Whirlpool washer that we bought secondhand for $150 seven years ago has stopped running through the wash cycle… Repairman say's it's a $500 fix. I have absolutely loved this washing machine the entire time we've owned it."

The user then asked, "That being said, would repairing it be throwing good money after bad?"

One commenter said a bad timer might explain the issue, noting that it can cause the machine to fail to advance on its own and that the part is usually well under $100.

TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight

💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all

Another commenter urged the owner to try the repair themselves, saying they would not pay a technician and expected professional service to be overpriced.

A third person said they had run into the same trouble, discovered a rusted-out sensor, and replaced it with a part bought online for $12.95. They added that a YouTube tutorial helped them complete the repair successfully.

The question was not only whether the washer could be fixed, but whether it was worth repairing at all. The owner could replace it, but was weighing whether to spend $750 or more on a new machine instead of paying $500 to keep the Whirlpool running.

Possible next steps

The label under the washer lid provides the model number, which commenters said is the best place to start when identifying the correct timer or other replacement part.

Another suggestion was to use a multimeter and video tutorials to troubleshoot the machine. Commenters noted that many do-it-yourself fixes may require parts costing less than $100, although a main circuit board could be a costlier exception.

One more commenter recommended taking photos of the appliance and its identification labels and uploading them to Google AI mode to find model-specific guidance. They also advised watching repair videos before ordering parts or taking the machine apart.

Related reading

Other appliance owners have faced similar comparisons between repair costs and the price of a replacement.

• One Maytag owner spent $300 on repairs before finding that an aftermarket part was underpowered.

• Another Maytag owner used a wire nut and tape to fix a washer that had filled with water.

• An older washer stopped agitating, leading its owner to wash clothes with a plunger.