Buying a used washer and dryer in the Triangle: what to check and what to pay

If you're searching Marketplace for a used washer and dryer around Raleigh, Durham or Cary, you're doing the sensible thing. A good used set is the cheapest laundry you'll ever do. The trouble is that the listings all look the same, and the difference between a $300 bargain and $300 of scrap metal is about fifteen minutes of checking.

We buy, test and repair these machines for a living, so here's what we actually look for.

What a used set should cost around here

• $100 to $200 for an as-is, untested set. No recourse, and you should budget for a repair right away.
• $250 to $400 for an older set that's been tested and cleaned. This is the most common honest listing.
• $400 to $700 reconditioned from a used-appliance shop, usually with 30 to 90 days of warranty. The safest way to buy used.
• $700 to $1,100 for scratch and dent: brand new machines with cosmetic damage and a full factory warranty.

Scratch and dent is the most underrated option in the whole market. A dent on a side panel that ends up facing a wall costs you nothing and takes hundreds off a machine that's still fully covered.

The checks to run before you pay

One rule prevents most bad outcomes: never buy a machine you haven't seen running. If the seller won't plug it in, the answer is no, no matter how good the price looks.

• Run a full cycle, not a demo. Fill, agitate, drain, spin. A washer can fill perfectly and fail on the spin, and the spin is the expensive repair.
• Listen during the spin. Grinding or a deep rumble usually means bearings, and a bearing job typically costs more than the machine is worth. A rhythmic thump is usually just an unbalanced load and is nothing to worry about.
• Look underneath and behind. Rust on the base pan or chalky white residue means it's been leaking.
• Pull the drum toward you. More than slight movement means worn bearings or a worn support.
• Smell a front loader. A sour, mildewy smell means the door gasket's been neglected. Sometimes it cleans up, often it doesn't.
• Make sure the dryer actually heats. Run it hot for two minutes and feel the exhaust. A dryer that tumbles but never gets hot is extremely common and completely useless.
• Check the cord. Electric dryers use 3-prong or 4-prong cords and your outlet is one or the other. Cheap to swap if you know beforehand, a wasted trip if you don't.
• Ask what's wrong with it. Straight out, to their face. The pause before the answer tells you more than the answer does.

The costs that aren't in the listing

The asking price is rarely the real price. A washer weighs around 200 pounds and won't fit in a car.

• Truck rental or a mover to get it home: $60 to $150
• Stairs, if you're above the first floor: $25 to $75 a flight, or one friend and a real risk of injury
• New supply hoses, which you should always replace: $15 to $40. A burst hose is the most common cause of serious water damage in a home.
• Dryer cord or vent kit, if yours doesn't match: $20 to $120
• The first repair on an untested machine: $150 to $350, and it's usually a question of when
• Getting rid of it at the end: $40 to $100

So a $250 Marketplace set with a $100 truck, $40 of hoses and one $200 repair is really a $590 set. That can still be a good deal. It's just a different number from the one in the ad.

When buying used is right

Buy used if you're staying put for a few years, you can move 200 pounds, you can handle a basic repair or know someone who can, and you have the cash today. Under those conditions nothing beats it on cost.

Think harder if you're renting and might move within a year, you have no way to get it up a staircase, or an unexpected $300 repair would genuinely hurt. That's where the sticker price and the real cost drift furthest apart.

How it compares to renting

We rent washer and dryer sets across the Triangle, so check this arithmetic rather than taking our word for it. A full set from us is $70 a month with delivery, professional installation and every repair included, no deposit and no credit check.

• At 6 months: a $400 used set has cost you around $540 all in. Renting has cost $420. Renting is ahead.
• At 1 year: roughly $540 versus $840. Buying is ahead.
• At 3 years: roughly $940 versus $2,520. Buying is clearly ahead.

The honest answer is that it flips at around eight or nine months. If you'll be in the same place for years and can absorb a repair bill, buying used wins on pure cost and it isn't close. If you're inside a year, moving soon, or a surprise repair would be a problem, renting usually costs less and always costs less hassle.

The other thing worth weighing is what happens when it breaks, because eventually it will. On a set you bought, that's your Saturday and your $250. On a rented set it's a phone call. Some people would happily pay to never think about it again. Some would rather keep the money and fix it themselves. Both are reasonable.