Keep or Replace

[SIZE=3]We had a Kenmore top loader that lasted over 16 years. When my wife was complaining that the washer was malfunctioning, I said I would fix it. She said that the washer was old and we had gotten our moneys worth out of it. We should buy a new one. We went to Sears and bought a Maytag front loader Model MAH5500BWW. This was about two years ago. [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]Recently, the Maytag broke. After paying more than I wanted for a machine and buying one with the Maytag brand name, I was surprised. The Wax Motor Failed. This took out the Control Board. Since the machine was older than one year but less than two, I had to pay for labor. This was $200 more than I expected to pay on a relatively new and expensive machine.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]I just received an offer to extend the warranty on this machine for one (~$100) or three (~$250) years. My dilemma is that I don’t know if I should just run the machine until it breaks again and then throw it away and get a GE or if I should purchase the warranty. I guess I want to know how dependable the Dependability People really are?[/SIZE]