Fridge died on Tuesday, do I repair the old one or grab a scratch and dent?

My 12 year old Whirlpool compressor went out in the middle of a heat wave in Phoenix, and the repair quote was $380 while a dented but new model at the local appliance outlet is $450. I fixed a washing machine myself last spring, but this feels riskier, has anyone else gambled on the cheaper repair route and regretted it?

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1 Comment

henderson.mila9h ago

You really want to trust a 12 year old fridge that already broke down once? That $380 repair is just the price of admission, odds are the compressor goes again within a year or two, and then you're stuck paying another $380 on top of the $450 you could've spent on something with a warranty. Plus, in Phoenix, a fridge isn't a luxury, it's survival gear, and you don't gamble with that in July. The scratch and dent has a full warranty and new parts, so even if it's ugly on the side nobody sees, it's way less of a headache than nursing a dying dinosaur back to life.