I just bought a house and, of course, my fridge decided to break down. It turns out it just needs a gasket, but fixing it has been a bigger challenge than I expected. My husband tried fixing it a couple of times with no luck, so we called a repairman who quoted us about $370 for the repair. The fridge is a Whirlpool manufactured in March 2020, but we're not sure when it was actually installed. We also found a new Whirlpool fridge at a scratch-and-dent store—a side-by-side one, which I prefer over the current model. The new fridge would set us back about $550, plus the hassle of moving and installing it. Should we just fix the current fridge or go for the new one? I'm worried that even if the gasket repair goes well, we might face more issues down the road. But the repairman seems confident in fixing it, and it feels a bit excessive to shell out an extra $175 for a new fridge when ours isn't that old and could last longer. What do you think?
4 Answers
If everything else is working on your current fridge, just fix it! You never know what could really be wrong with the scratch-and-dent one, and $370 isn't terrible for a repair if the fridge works fine otherwise.
Considering that your fridge was made in March 2020—which was a tough time for manufacturing—I'd be a bit cautious about buying a new one. Corners may have been cut during production due to pandemic pressures, so replacing it could save you headaches later.
Repair it if money's tight! Older fridges can last a good 8 to 10 years, but definitely save up for a replacement down the line, just in case.
Definitely look into warranties with that scratch-and-dent fridge. If it has a full manufacturer's warranty and you can get an extended warranty for a good price, it might be worth considering over repairing your current unit, especially if the repair might lead to more costs soon.