By now most of you know I am moving, well….
We have a very old, and somewhat disgusting fridge now. We should take it with us. I know. But I just can’t stand the thought of moving a fridge I hate. It is on its last leg. Or at least I am telling myself that.
The picture above is my dream fridge. It is exactly what I had in mind. That is until I looked at the price tag. $2399 in town. No less than $1800 online. WOWZA! Not quite within our budget, needless to say.
We are all new to this appliance shopping, but I think we will be going with a side by side. The problem is that we have 35 1/2′” inches to work with. Most fridges nowadays are at least 35 1/2”, plus they need some room for the doors. We want something reasonably priced that will last forever. (Not asking too much am I?)
So I am asking you. What brand of refrigerator do you have? Do you like it? Do you hate it?
Anything that we should keep in mind while shopping?
(Thanks for your help!)
I disclose : There may be affiliate links in this post.
{ 31 comments… read them below or add one }
We have a Kenmore side-by-side which I love. It has a water filter, which is a little pricey to replace, but it is worth it with our bad city water! Before making major appliance purchases, I go to the library and read the latest review in Consumer Reports magazine. You get good information such as which brands have the most/least repairs, etc.
I’ve been buying appliances from Lowes for years. I lucked into a Maytag H2O several years ago, the French door w/ bottom freezer slide out, water/ice in the door. A lady didn’t like it (crazy woman) and had returned it, orig sold for $2500 and I got it for $1500.
Scratch and dents aisles at Lowes can be pretty good deal finders. They do mark down every week if an item lasts that long.
I’d had a French door style years ago and had left it in the house when we moved–big huge mistake. Thought I wanted a side by side–bought one and hated it every day I had it.
My next frig will still be a French but w/o the water and ice (if I can convince hubby) in the door-you lose some shelf space for it, newer models have them inside.
Consumer Reports is right on the money. Most consumers don’t know that most appliances are made in the same place, alot of the companies have bought each other out but kept the name to keep older customers. High end and low end all (don’t quote me) have the same warranty life and want to sell you an extended plan.
the only company I’d say stay away from– Roper.
I also have a side by side. At the time we purchased, it was my ‘dream’ fidge. Now…I get so frustrated with the limited side to side space in the fridge. Your dream fridge for $1800 seems like a bargain!! I want to move so I have an excuse to appliance shop. ;-). I do a lot of laundry and dream about the pretty, big, drawer included front load washer/dryers…but would take old fashioned working ones to be able to get the fridge. Good luck with your hunt!!
You can als google and see if you have a Sears near you that sells remanufctured products. Know a friend who just got new washer and dryer (front loading, energy efficient ones) from one here and only paid $975 for both of them. Someone had defaulted on their payments/ all that was remanufactured on them was the scuff marks-is what the guy told him. P.S. They also got 1yr warranty with that.
A friend of mine went to Lowe’s just the other day and talked them down from 1899 to 1492 on a whirlpool side by side. They saw another similar model at sears in a different brand and the manager matched it even though it wasn’t the same exact one. SO that’s just a bit of advice! She was so happy!
I just wanted to make a comment about the dream refrigerator at the top of this page…my brother and his wife have this exact fridge and they actually paid closer to $3,000 for their’s….they love their’s and do not regret purchasing it, it has many blings to it like it has a built in door alarm where if a child leaves it open (but looks closed to a child) it will sound an alarm plus the room is unbelievable, there is so much space its like having two fridges in one unit so when I need a new fridge I will absolutely get this…..also the freezer is almost like having a small deep freeze, you can absolutely put alot of things in this freezer, great buy!!!
We just replaced our fridge and I did tons and tons of asking other’s opinions….Of course everyone has an opinion and I heard everything from the side by side doesn’t have enough room, to the freezer on the bottom is horrible because everytime you open it ice falls onto the floor….The list just goes on and on. Finally I decided to just get what I felt like I wanted and went with a side by side. I will admit, when you have bigger dishes in the fridge it can get low on space but that’s just a good reason to keep your fridge cleaned out. Overall I love it and have zero regrets on buying it. I think it cost us around $1,000 so it would be a little cheaper than the one you’re looking at.
Local place is the way to go. We have bought ours at a local place in Garner, NC. Free delivery and you can always barter on the price. Also, you can get floor samples at locals places with a ding or scratch that reduces the price significantly. I did that when we bought our first place (on our 3rd).
I have had 2 GE and 1 Kitchenaid. I have the french door fridge now because the price point of our house demanded we have upgraded appliances. I hated the GE side by sides and had more people in and out to fix it and no freezer room. The Kitchenaid, while a fortune, (knock on wood) has been a work horse. And the drawer freezer, while taking some getting used to, is easy to organize.
I HATE my side by side fridge!!!! It’s less than 5 years old and if I could, I’d replase it! I’ve decided I’d like just a FRIDGE….not a combo, but 2 seperate units. Extravagent, I know, but I’ve got a freezer, so why not just a fridge? I will give me all the room I want/need and keep me from fight w/the freezer side. Both sides are WAY too narrow for me. I saw just the fridge unit at Sears a few months ago and since then I’ve been finagling a system to get it.
Just my 2 cents…:) Good luck w/whatever you choose…..
Yes, GREAT idea!
Ugh. We got a Kenmore side-by-side, energy star with our house. It’s about 2.5 years old now, and it’s had the repairman out to fix it about 4 times already–and that was while it was under warranty! The icemaker had a bad circuit board when it was manufactured. So we didn’t have an icemaker for a couple of months after we moved in. Then they switched that out, and kinked a water line. So we didn’t have a working water dispenser for a lot longer. Now it seems to be working okay and I can’t justify getting a fridge I like better. However, I will say that when I replace it, it won’t be a Kenmore or a side-by-side. Maybe it’s me, but I find that I can’t fit as much food into either the fridge or the freezer as I could in the old small apartment fridges we lived with for years before we bought our house. Also, putting a pizza box into the fridge requires an empty shelf and a lot of rearranging. We had to buy a standalone freezer almost immediately after moving in (since you have a freezer chest already, maybe that won’t be an issue, but I get a lot of exercise most days going between the basement and the main floor). The one feature I love now that it works is the filtered water. We’ve given up the Brita because the fridge filter is cheaper and works better. We actually get the upgraded Whirlpool filters (that fits the Kenmore fridge which I discovered through the Amazon.com reviews by customers), and it filters out more than the basic filter. We buy them through Amazon.com and get a 2-pack of upgraded filters (online) for the price of one basic filter (in the Sears store). Each filter lasts us about 3-4 months. My mom has the french door fridge with the icemaker in the freezer drawer and does have ice issues. Her LG has had more repair visits in the past 3-4 years than my Kenmore, and my brother’s mother-in-law had to replace her LG fridge within 2 years. I really like the french door and freezer on the bottom style, but I would go with the models which have the ice and water dispenser in the door.
I didn’t read all the comments (sorry). But I truly hate my side-by-side. Also, keep in mind that more features aren’t necessarily better. Don’t get sucked in by crazy cool features — think about what you actually need.
I just emailed you the Consumer Reports most recent assessment of refrigerators.
Hi Lucy,
We are on the hunt for the quietest refrigerator. Could you email the Consumer Reports analysis? Sure would appreciate it.
Thanks, Gary
We have a Whirlpool Energy Star Side-by-Side Fridge. It is the best fridge that we’ve ever had! No problems from it at all! We’ve had it for about 3 years now. The only thing that I don’t like is the freezer! Its too narrow to fit all of my frozen goods! Also, the water filter has to be replaced ~every 3 months. So, I’m still waiting for Hubby to buy me a chest freezer to put in the garage. Any suggestions?
I agree with the above in fact I would research via Consumer Reports. But once you’ve settled on the fridge, try the scratch and dent stores. The warranty is still valid, and sometimes it’s just a return with nothing wrong. Bought a lot of appliances via Lowes and Sears scratch and dent returns.
I luv this fridge, but would prefer the one with the additional pull out drawer for kids and parties. :)
Good luck!
I picked mine out based on a number of things. Bottom freezer,french doors,largest cubic feet inside plus a rebate and sale price. But the biggest thing was 2 ice makers. One in the door and one in the bottom. I got the Samsung Model rfg298aawp. I wanted white,I know everyone wants stainless steel but not me.
But it is wide 35.75 wide and 36 1/4 deep including handles.
I couldnt be happier. Only bad review I found true is the ice maker is noisy.It is a little noisy but no noisier than my ancient side by side I had. Love it. Good luck
You are right. Don’t move the old one. Our electric company gives $50 to pick up old ones. The new one will save $$ on energy. Pray and shop it. You can do it :)
I may be in the minority but I have a side by side and have no issues. A few things I would consider and did when buying ours was the freezer space.
It is very hard in the Cleveland Ohio area to find anything without a water dispenser which takes away so much space in the door (also an ice maker.)
I love the look of the one you want but it would absolutely not work for my family with four teenagers. There is in no way enough freezer space. With using coupons and stocking up with sales, the one you picked out would not hold enough – where would all the frozen items be stored. I would have to purchase an additional freezer.
Of course this all depends on the family size, how you shop and what types of food/meals you cook.
My stainless steel Whirlpool works for me.
And for the person who commented about washers/dryers.
PS I have a front load Samsung washing machine. Love it. Lots more clothes to fit in so fewer loads to wash but the one negative – the clothes tend to get tangled around each other, especially pants. Also you have to be careful of detergents. Even if they say HE some can discolor the clothese in patches. Don’t know how it happened but Gain, which I absolutely loved left dyed areas on my 850 thread Egyptian cotton sheets. Yikes and I loved those expensive sheets (which of course I only bought because they were 80 % off at the dept. store.
Good luck.
I like the fridge in your picture–sometimes you can get a scratch and dent deal from Lowes–somewhere not seen. A side by side is simply not big enough for my family–platters, watermelons, pizza boxes etc. The freezer is even harder to deal with. But anyway how exciting! Good luck to you! Also when you change your address you often get a 10% off coupon in the mail from Lowes in the postal service’s welcome envelope.
Not sure what to recommend to you, but I can tell you what NOT to buy! I have an LG fridge which has been NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS! Motor has frozen over, drawers are flimsy, icemaker easily jams, electrical wiring has been problematic (light in fridge won’t turn off and apparently many other LG owners have had similar problems). I hope you will have better luck with your fridge!
We like our French door fridge. It’s our second. (We keep moving.) We’ve had a side by side, and I liked the water-ice dispenser, but not the space. However, you’ve got a freezer (I think), and that would make the side by side better — except that it’s more expensive to run than a French door (or a top freezer). Our French door fridge has a water dispenser inside the door, and an ice maker in the bottom drawer freezer. Do check Consumer Reports, and then drill down in the internet reviews to see what’s what. (We did that for our dishwasher – it became clear which one was right for us.) That said, scratch and dent or Sears outlet or even Craig’s List (we’re in an area with many relocations) is the best way to go – price goes way down, but the scratches and dents are generally not even visible. (My husband was iffy about it to begin with, but once we actually went to a Sears outlet and saw how much you save, he never looked back. That was three kitchens ago, and I don’t think we’ve bought an appliance full price since. Fridges are scratch and dent, cooktops were display models, double oven Lowe’s scratch and dent, HE washer Craig’s list, really nice stove with double oven CL, dishwasher Lowe’s S&D … Oh, wait, our last fridge was 10% off at Lowe’s along with a really nice rebate from the state for Energy Star.) Also, speaking of Energy Star, you’re going to save a lot of electricity by replacing your old fridge with an Energy Star fridge. Check out the calculator, http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=refrig.calculator, and tell us what it comes to. If it’s from 1990 and a top-freezer, you’re looking at $100/year.
We have almost the exact same fridge pictured above. Our is a Kenmore Elite, french doors, bottom pull out freezer with an extra drawer in it, water/ice in the door, digital thermometer, and door alarm (which you can have on or off). We bought ours last August when we purchased our first home. We love this fridge! We purchased ours as a sears scratch and dent, where the appliances are a fraction of original prices. We paid $1300 because there a two tiny little scratches on it, that no one ever even notices!
Happy Hunting!
We have one similar to this one at work. It is constantly sounding the alarm for a door, etc ajar as doors are harder to close with middle hinged board at the crack. Opening the door for the water dispenser sounds cool until you get your fridge food out and it’s thawed because of people opening/closing the door getting water from the dispenser and, as a result, warming up the fridge each time.
Freezer drawer sounds cool until you use it. Ice falls on the floor, melts making puddles that run under the cabinets and think about how many times you would bend over to get something out of the freezer.
I like Pam’s idea of having and entire fridge and and entire freezer. Afterall, we are stockpilers by nature. :) This way stuff you use more often can be at eye level no matter the storage temperature and everywhere else for stockpiling… :) Saving your back over time…
Most clothes washers are made by GE, only under many different names. I wonder if the same goes for refrigerators? Good luck in your hunt.
On our fridge there is the alarm that sounds when the doors/freezer is open for 30 seconds, but also a button you can turn it off. We don’t have problems with the doors as long as we remember to close one and then the other. Also since I don’t use the freezer quite as often, when I do use it, I sit or crouch so it saves the back too. :-)
If you have a water dispenser or ice dispenser in the door, there is usually the ice access on the inside but it dispenses on the outside of the door. The one we have has the ice in the door but we very rarely have to open the door to get the ice. Usually only if we need a ton of ice for some reason.
Not meaning to come across as a pain or dispute everything you are saying, Kristi, but I am curious as to how ice falls on the floor when you open the freezer drawers. We don’t have this problem. Maybe it has to do with the freezers that have the ice in the drawer itself instead of fridge door?
If you have the money and the SPACE for it, an entire fridge and entire freezer would of course be the #1 thing!
We have an awesome fridge that we got on this past Black Friday! It was $1200 off the regular price. It is an LG french-door refrigerator with two drawer freezer. I LOVE IT! We use the fridge more often than the freezer so instead of crouching down to get stuff from the bottom of the fridge it is within easy reach. It’s very easy for me to keep organized. The two-drawer freezer is very nice because you can completely fill the bottom drawer with meats and bigger things and keep the frozen vegs/fruits, etc in the top. The drawers may seem smaller at first but it is very easy to organize! It can fit a 22 lb turkey in the bottom drawer, 4 pork roasts, 4 eye roasts and still have space for tenderloins, ground beef, etc. I’d think about what features are important to you, what things do you use a lot and is it something you can live without or is it really a need! Don’t settle for something because you will live to regret it.
Hi, we found most of our appliances from the Sears Scratch and Dent outlet. We have one about an hour from us. You might want to try looking for an outlet in the brand that you want. We didn’t mind the dent in the side, the cabinet covered it! Also, most big box stores have scratch and dent and you can still offer less. If you haul, they usually go for it. That’s how we got our stainless dishwasher. It was missing hoses and the insulation to help with noise (easily replaced) and as we were leaving the sales guy threw the hose kit in the washer from the one next to it! Good Luck.
Oh, how I hate to even give this company any business at ALL. I used to work for them MANY years ago – we’re talking like almost 10 years! But Sunrise Appliance down on Catawba Valley Blvd by Mega Tan has scratch and dent downstairs, most of it is on the back and not something you can see at all and the prices are a bit lower then just buying a new one obviously but you may want to check there and see how the prices compare, if its just a scratch on the side then maybe your cabinet will cover it, ya’know?
My old fridge just bit the dust, and I had to buy one @ a good price and for them to deliver the same day. So I went to Sears, figured I couldn’t afford the stainless steel that my heart so desired. But I did find a Frigidaire matte finish Stinless steel side by side with water and ice on the door. Igot in for 999.99, and delivered several hours later..At Lowes I found the same model on sale for
1399.99 with the original price at 1799.99….so glad I bought the one Sears—just love it…………….also no cost for delivery or hauling away the old…even thought they had to remove the doors on the fridge and on my house to even get it in……
I was dead set on a french door stainless refrigerator when we moved last fall. My husband is a Lowe’s employee so we get a discount, but they were still too much. We got this side by side (26.4 cu ft.) with the in door ice maker (this is my favorite part). It is deep and wide enough to get a large pizza box or sheet cakes in. The doors also swing all the way open so it is easy to access. Check when Lowe’s runs sales on Whirlpool. We got a good price on ours (even without the discount). Good luck!
**Whirlpool 26.4 Cu. Ft. Side-by-Side Refrigerator (Color: Stainless Steel) ENERGY STAR Item #: 303612 | Model #: GSS26C5XXY
We bought a Maytay side by side w/ bottom freezer a year ago. No water machine on it. The water machine adds A TON of $$ onto the price so we opted against that. We have not had any problems with ours-even got a rebate f/ Maytag (check w/ your seller for rebates). It’s huge (we got the biggest size), just an FYI, our installer said you need at least 2 extra inches on the sides for when the fridge expands. Cut out the water machine, pick a smaller unit, check rebates & you’ll drop your total price.
Bottom freezer stores alot…only down fall the handle is at kids height to lean on, pull on etc (we have small kids).
We have a local Hhgreg store. We acutally just bought our fridge in March. We went then over the weekend and looked at a fridge that was 25 cft. Then when we went back on that Tuesday the weren’t running the sale. So they were so nice to us that they were offering us that same fridge air for the same price. But when he pulled it up it had 50 on back order. So instead they gave us a 25 cft whirlpool french door fridge. We purchased our fridge for around $800.00 it has ton of space. We use to live in an apartment so we had a small fridge. Once we moved into our house we were able to unpack some of the stuff in our deep freezer and now we have room in both to stockup!