Our SubZero at 24 years old is on its last legs. Anyone have any thoughts on best reliable refrigerators? I do not need the computerized stuff or a built in Keurig or such.
I really love the ones that LG and Samsung make, but alas they may be too high-techish for you. Lots of fancy doodads.
There is some good info on repairs/reliability of appliances at blog.yaleappliance.com. 24 years is pretty impressive for a fridge.
If it’s in your budget I would buy another Subzero in a heartbeat. The new ones are supposed to last and last too.
Stay away from Kitchenaid. We had to have parts replaced while it was relatively very young and then again a few years later. The interior didn’t hold up well either and plastic parts cracked.
We just bought a Bosch to go with some other appliances. I’ve seen great reviews and then less than stellar but usually the negative reviews are related to the water/ice maker which we didn’t get. Too soon though to give you any real feedback.
I’ve been quite happy with my GE Monogram.like mom of senior, I too didn’t get the exterior ice machine. I had problems with the ice maker in prior fridge. My GE fits between cabinets and looks like a built-in.
We did not get an exterior ice dispenser either. That seems to be the biggest problem area with any brand. Looks better without it, although they are convenient. We don’t miss it though.
It sounds like you have a built in fridge… you need another SubZero then.
Stay away from Bosch fridges. They are made by some Chinese outfit, so who knows what the parts availability is going to be…
Last year we purchased new appliances for our kitchen – refrigerator, over, dishwasher – and got all LG.
Also an LG microwave. We love all of them.
@TatinG - What are the dimensions of your current refrigerator?
What are the signs that it’s on its last legs? My Subzero is also that old. As far as I can see, it shows no sign of dying.
Thermostat broken. Ice maker broken. We may try repair.
I would give repair a shot.
Do you have wood panels now for your Subzero? If so, they make a retrofit kits for their new refrigerators and you can reuse your wood panels.
Call an authorized Subzero repair co. and ask how much it will be to repair. New Subzero’s retail for roughly around $8,000-$10,000 depending on size/model. However, at some point their accumulated repair costs can start approaching the cost of a new replacement, if things like the Freon leaks and the bottoms (depending on model) can rot out at the age of 20+ years old.
I recommend checking out the repair option before proceeding. Our refrigerator/freezer stopped freezing and at first I thought it might be time to replace. Well, ugh, because it’s built in, the only option to replace for that space was the same unit, updated. We opted instead to replace the inner “guts” of the unit for a much lower price.
I paid $485 to replace the ice maker on my 14yr old SubZero last year. Agree that you should check on cost of both repairs. The thermostat may not be a really high cost repair.
Is this a trend now, to not get the ice maker on the door? I looked at new fridges today and am debating about the door ice maker, as well as side by side vs French doors.
We also will never get a through the door ice maker again. The newer designs just take up too much interior space in the fridge doors storage. And I don’t like how it looks anymore on the outside.
We have a GE french door. I would not suggest buying it. It’s about 5 years old and the gasket is all ripped up already…we have it taped together with packing tape.
My husband hates it…and I told him…only two more years and it will likely die.
I agree with others…see if repair is possible more on that subzero. They don’t make appliances like they used to!
My inlaws sub zero is 35 years old and still going strong.
We have a GE side by side that’s 2.5 years old. Just today we discovered that the fridge isn’t cooling enough. At least the freezer’s still working. And we’re in the process of selling our house. Guess we’ll get it repaired since that will likely be the easier fix.
The ice maker is a simple repair. I had to do that once. One year, it was so cold it froze and broke. I now know to shut off the ice maker in winter. The thermostat may just need replacing. It will be part plus labor, maybe a few hundred dollars.