WWYD re: washer and dryer

[Sabine]

Dh is in the Navy, and our next move is to Pensacola for flight school, which will last about 7 months, and then we''ll be moving again. We found a great house to rent for those 7 months, and although it has washer and dryer hook ups, it doesn''t have the washer and dryer. I''m not willing to go without for 7 months, but I can''t decide which our best option is. The other major contributing factor is that we might be going overseas after the 7 months is us, so I don''t know what we do with our stuff when that happens, whether it goes into storage or we try to take it with us, etc.

We could:
A. Invest in a nice washer and dryer (front loading, high efficiency, etc). It might end up sitting in storage while we''re overseas (approx. 3-4 years), then use it when we buy a house when we return to the states (dh will be out of the Navy at that point and we''ll be settling in a permanent area).

B. Buy a basic model washer and dryer, again put in storage, use when we first get back and buy a house but then upgrade at some point.

C. Buy a cheap set from craigslist. This would probably be my #1, except it might take a while, and I think I''m going to want the set ASAP when we get there, plus I''m worried they wouldn''t fit in our CRV and then transporting becomes an issue.

D. Rent a washer and dryer from a rent-a-center type place so we don''t have to worry about it if we go overseas. I can''t find prices for this online so I''ll have to go to a store to see, but I''m guessing this will be more expensive in the short term, but maybe our best option for the long term, unless we DON''T end up going overseas.

WWYD?

 

[luvinlife]

Hi Sabine,
I recommed you call the renta-center in Pensacola and ask for their general rate. Then, ask for the military rate second. Pensacola is a large Navy town and many businesses offer discounts. In my opinion, having been there, I recommed you dont'' purchase a washer and dryer not. Out of CONUS moves can be hard of washers and often they use different plug abroad. I would save yourself the headache for now.

 

[Morgie44]

I would probably go the Craigslist route. A friend of mine does this for their rental properties and have had really good luck with it. If they won''t fit in your SUV, you could rent a cheapy Uhaul trailer/home depot truck to pick them up. Then when it''s time to move just relist them and get most of the money back or you may be able to work out a deal with the landlord for leaving them at the property. My second choice would be to go with rent a center unless it is very expensive. I wouldn''t buy new and potentially store in a few months. My mom works for an appliance repair center and she has told me that the majority of their calls are for front loading washing machines. They work great and are energy efficient, but have a lot more components thus potential for problems than top loading machines. If you put them in storage for 3-4 years, you are wasting a majority of your warranty time. I wouldn''t be comfortable with the risk.

 

[Steel]

Weird - I tried to post and I was thrown off

anyhoo...

Date: 6/16/2010 9:24:32 AM
Author: luvinlife
Hi Sabine,
I recommed you call the renta-center in Pensacola and ask for their general rate. Then, ask for the military rate second. Pensacola is a large Navy town and many businesses offer discounts. In my opinion, having been there, I recommed you dont'' purchase a washer and dryer not. Out of CONUS moves can be hard of washers and often they use different plug abroad. I would save yourself the headache for now.

Great idea, but only if the fee is very low % of retail price and they have a great ''if it breaks down'' policy.

For me, I would buy cheapies/2nd hand and then sell rather than put into storage if you go overseas.

Well done for finding a great house for the training time and even more well done for having such a great ''can do'' attitude.

 

[tiffanytwisted]

I would also go the cheap/craigslist route. You can rent a cheap uhaul trailer to transport if needed.
I would be worried about buying a nice one, using it for 7 months, and then putting in storage- likely it would be in storage when the manufacturer warrenty runs out and you wouldn''t be using it to know if there was a problem.

 

[Octavia]

Personally, I''d try to do option C (Craigslist) but would price out cheapie sets so I''d have option B to fall back on if Craigslist didn''t work out. That way, if it''s almost time for you to move and you still haven''t found a secondhand one, you can call up, order the cheap set, and schedule it for delivery just after you get there. And at the end of your stint there, you can decide whether it makes sense for you to (a) see if the landlord wants to keep it and make arrangements for that, (b) put it in storage, or (c) list it on Craigslist yourself and hopefully recoup some of the costs. I''d only do the rental if it''s significantly cheaper and has a really good, watertight (pun!) breakage policy.

 

[Mara]

i wouldn''t do A as stuff changes in a few years and you may find that after a few years in storage your awesome state of the art set is not anymore...

B or C... but i''d prob lean towards C if you can find something. we got our brand new old Kenmore set for like $350 each after rebates and 5 years later it was going strong...so even new you don''t have to spend too much to get a decent set.

good luck!

 

[Munchkin]

I vote D if the price is reasonable and they cover repairs. Also ask if you can purchase the rentals if you end up staying somewhere it would be reasonable to ship.

If the price isn''t right, think- how many people encounter this dilemma in pensacola every year? I suspect LOTS! Check for ads from people going overseas and selling off their stuff. You might even be able to use word of mouth with any contacts you''ve made.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Rent. We did that our first year in NC and it was $30 a month for the set. Personally it is worth it not to have the hassle of moving/selling the set if you are only going to be there for 7 months.

 

[geckodani]

Date: 6/18/2010 10:27:47 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Rent. We did that our first year in NC and it was $30 a month for the set. Personally it is worth it not to have the hassle of moving/selling the set if you are only going to be there for 7 months.

Ditto this. And I''m with Mara in that a brand new state of the art set will age quickly. If you''re only going to be there for a few months, I''d try to rent.

 

[April20]

I'd go the Craigslist route. You can get them for a song and I bet it'll be cheaper than a rental in the long run. I sold a perfectly fine washer when we had two for $75 a couple years ago when we moved.

I wouldn't buy a nice one and then store it. The technology is still getting better and the price keeps getting lower. I think if you buy now, you'll find that in 3-4 years when you might be able to use it again, the price will be significantly cheaper.

 

[Allison D.]

Date: 6/18/2010 10:27:47 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Rent. We did that our first year in NC and it was $30 a month for the set. Personally it is worth it not to have the hassle of moving/selling the set if you are only going to be there for 7 months.

Emphatically ditto.

 

[princesss]

Sabine, a good friend of mine is just getting ready to leave Pcola - her husband's winging is July 2nd. Do you want me to see what she did?

ETA: Nevermind, just saw you found a house. She was in an apartment, so hers might have been included. I ditto the people that said rent them. Way easier.

Also, kind of off-topic, but please make sure you get involved in SOSA down there. My friend was really lonely down there until she got involved with them and she said it made a world of difference, especially with her DH's flight/training schedule.