My washing machine is DEAD!

Front loaders take forever and aren't very energy efficient. JMHO

We brought a top loader from Bond & Bond for under $400 and it's the best I love it. We used to have a F&P. I have heard that the F&P Elba range is very good. We've got one of their dishwashers and they are great.

I'd check Bond & Bond, Noel Leeming and Harvey Norman.

This is the one that we have
washing machine

You could try this website too, it lists the latest sales for appliances.

Sale finder

I thought that front loaders were suposed to be more water and energy efficient than top loaders?

Harvey Norman usually have pretty good deals, we got a Simpson washer and dryer combo for $900 down from $1300 a few months back, and I've seen the special heaps. Also Smiths City are having 30 months easypay at the moment.

Front loaders are supposed to be more efficient but take longer. They are also supposed to wash better and be more gentle. But they are also a lot more expensive to get the same size and quality in brand that you would get with a top loader, and the door thing is a big issue with us too. We just went with a 6kg top loader.

Agree with checking out the appliance shed in Henderson. I very nearly bought a F&P washer from there myself not so long ago.

We have a Simpson and it's possessed. If it weren't for all the junk in the laundry at the moment it would be at the bottom of the swimming pool .
Once it's finished it beeps every 5 mins, if it gets stuck it beeps like a maniac every 5 or 10 minutes and if you're like my DH and you like to wait until the washing is on and then have a shower it will beep every 5 mins to remind you you've lifted the lid up. There doesn't seem to be any option to stop the beeping.
This might be a good thing for some but I like to put washing on when I go to bed and then hang it out before I go to work. Can't do that.
Ours was one of those deals from Bond and Bond but I can't remember how much it was.

We recently bought a new washing machine after having a Fisher & Paykel top-loader that was fixed three times in six years. It was a hand-me-down from DH's family when we got it, so it probably lasted a good 10-12 years, which I think is a pretty good lifespan!

We did heaps of research about washing machines when we were buying, and in the end we went with a front-loader. I was apprehensive about it because I had read that they can take ages, but despite this, I am really, really pleased with our purchase. We bought a Bosch Logixx 10kg New Dimension. It's very water-efficient (4 stars) and was more energy-efficient than any of the other washers we looked at (3.5 stars). Because it's a 10kg washer we can wash duvets in it, which was one of the things I really wanted to make sure we could do.

It has heaps of settings, and I've found that it gets clothing and towels much cleaner than our top-loader. You can vary the spin speed for delicate items and decrease or increase the water temperature depending on what you're washing. We've had no problems with the "footprint" it takes up. It is larger than our top-loader, but since it's got the door in front we can store the washing powder and stuff on top of it! There is no way a toddler can open the door to it as it's very sturdy and requires opening a certain way. Overall, we're really happy with it and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Jaycee, our front-loader can have things added to it once the cycle starts -- you can add things at any time during the cycle. You just press Pause and the door unlocks and you can biff things in. It is a great feature.

It also has a timer on it so you can see how long each cycle will take. You set the clock time when you install it, then it will tell you each time you do a load of washing at what time it will finish. Brilliant!

It's a Bosch Logixx 10kg New Dimension. I was really apprehensive before we got it, because of the things I'd read about front-loaders, and even had MIL on the phone telling us we were making a mistake. But I am totally thrilled with it. I have gotten used to the cycles taking longer than our top-loader too; the timer feature is especially helpful. I really highly recommend it! But I would never wish a broken dryer on anyone. :( Our old one broke the day before we left for our overseas trip to the US and Japan -- gutting! I had to take dirty laundry along with me and wash it at my mother's house when we got there!