Fantastic Appliance Odyessy

I need to share this story.  Mostly because I'm pretty happy with myself and also to share how you can do renovations on the cheap (or mostly cheap:).

So, as I've mentioned, once or twice, I am a total CL junkie.  I regularly check to see what has been posted, I post most unwanted items in my home and I shop with other CL people when I need something.

I realized I needed appliances.  When we moved into this condo (my brother and I) the appliances were original to the building.  Which meant they were installed in the early 1990s.  Now, appliances are meant to last but in 2011 they were going into the third decade of their lives and I was getting worried.  It is never a good sign if you find yourself listening to the sound your fridge makes instead of the CD or to repeatedly visit your washing machine as it cycles through its paces to ensure there are no leaks or spontaneous combustion.

So, when I realized I needed appliances I decided to buy them on CL.  Not knowing anything about appliances I turned to Google and Consumer Reports and all other sorts of reports to see what indicated value in the land of appliances.  Whenever I found a reasonable item on CL I'd research it but good items go fast and there was the matter of the transporting said appliance.  They just didn't fit into my hatchback:)

Finally, I located a fridge (LG, second fridge of previous owners, clean, no funky smells and still had some of the blue film that appliances are shipped with - how used could it be?). 

A lovely Russian woman was selling it and she told me about her arrival in BC, English lessons, a new grandchild and an incredibly busy partner.  I told her about school, family and my history in her community.  I gave her a deposit and told her I was arranging transport.

Then I found a dishwasher (Kenmore, they were switching over to stainless steel, it looked clean, there was no way to try it out but the seller seemed honest).  I gave her a deposit and the same story about transport.

The stove was far away so I asked the owner about it by phone and he said he'd keep it for me.  It had been in an inlaw suite but hadn't been used.  It looked really clean.  He said I sounded honest and he knew I'd come to pick it up.














The washing machine was the last one.  The seller was selling a very ancient dryer (more than mine) and the washing machine.  He was willing to sell it separately.  It is a Maytag, clean inside and out, no funky smells and they were selling because they updated to frontloaders.  Deposit paid, now just to arrange transport.

Ah yes, the dryer.  I went and looked at one but wasn't sure it would work.  A few days later the guy asked if I would just come take the dryer.  He just wanted to get rid of it.

Now, how to pick up four appliances that are in three different municipalities?!!

The movers were great!  Met them in Richmond, paid the lady and picked up the fridge.  Next to south-east Vancouver to pick up the washing machine.  The dishwasher was not too far away in Vancouver and the last pick up was in North Vancouver.  Amazingly enough we made all the pickups in less than two hours.  It took longer to get the fridge up into my home (a bit too wide and the movers didn't know how to remove the door).

Here comes the complicated social justice math.  Is it better to buy used appliances and then drive to three different municipalities to pick them up (adding carbon into the atmosphere) or is it better to buy new appliances and have them delivered in one go?  My new appliances are more energy efficient than my older ones but maybe really new ones would be more so?  It is enough to make my head hurt:)

Thankfully Hydro came and took my fridge away, I gave my stove and hood fan to someone putting together a rental suite, I sold my washing machine and dishwasher to some folks who wanted an appliance that worked and didn't have problems (Note:  my washing machine didn't have problems, it just scared me:).  None of them when into the garbage!

With all the renovations going on, not all of the appliances were tested until last week.  Everything works.  The fridge makes its own odd noises and the dishwasher is noisier than the one I sold, the stove works perfectly, although its bottom drawer is smaller than my last one and the washing machine is a bit of a mystery (no owner's manual) but it washes clothes:)  And the dryer didn't work in my space so it's on CL for someone who needs a great dryer for a low price (hey, I've got to pay for the movers:).

Thanks for listening to my story.  It isn't earth shattering but it makes me smile.  If you got to here, maybe it made you smile too.