Wednesday, November 7, 2012

New vs. Reconditioned

The husband and I are on the hunt for a new refrigerator. Our must-haves:

* stainless steel
* bottom freezer
* french doors
* 22+ cu. ft.

Here is a lovely example:



Instead of cramming the fridge into the pre-made fridge nook or buying a smaller fridge, we're moving the fridge to the other side of the room where there is already an empty wall. So size is not an issue. However, price definitely is.

There are lots of great stores nearby {HH Greg, Sears Outlet, etc.} to choose from. However, I cannot pass up a good deal, so here is my question:

Is it worth the risk to buy reconditioned appliances?

Normally, I would never even consider buying anything refurbished. The risk of the item breaking again is far too great, and since the item is refurbished, it is unlikely that it comes with a warranty. However, let me shed a little light on the subject.

Here you have the Maytag {MFD256VEM} refrigerator:


Looks great, meets everything on our check list, but the price?

$1529.

Granted, that is much better than the original price of $1700, but it's still much more than we'd like to pay for something that keeps our food cold.

Now here is the exact same model but it has been refurbished:


The price?

$1080! That is $450 in savings from the sale price and $620 from the regular price!

I'm sure there are drawbacks to buying a refurbished fridge {like the ones I listed} but can anyone with experience please let me know if it's worth the risk? Whether it was a refrigerator, washer/dryer or another large appliance {small appliances are a whole different story}, I'd love to hear what you have to say!

Or, if you know of where we can purchase less expensive big ticket items, please let me know! Thank you! :)

3 comments:

Eileen said...

We bought our reconditioned fridge from SearsOutlet back in June. The fridge we got has the exact same warranty as a new one, so that's why I decided to go with them with the much lower price and pay all at once rather than at the box stores and 12 month financing (with no interest). I know it's only been 5 months, but it's running like a dream. We actually fixed our old fridge last year instead of getting a new one then since we've been told before that although the newer fridges tend to be more energy efficient, their life expectancy isn't nearly as long as the older ones. Good luck with your new fridge! :)

Eileen said...

Argh.. forgot to mention it was SearsOutlet.com (we don't have transport for large objects), searched for an online coupon (I think I got 10%), and I also used ebates to get some cash back. Every little bit helps!

Shelby said...

I'm an advocate for buying most things second-hand or reconditioned (except for things like pillows, ew)and I've had great experiences with buying refurbished things from the company itself. And the difference of $500 could go along way!

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