Deciding Whether to Repair or Replace a Kitchen Appliance

Deciding whether to repair or replace a kitchen appliance can be a difficult decision. I’m not talking about replacing an appliance because you simply want an upgrade. I’m talking about when an appliance you use multiple times per day has lost one of its essential functions. And you need it fixed or replaced, the sooner the better.

That is where we are this week. Our kitchen range has an issue. A scary issue, as a matter of fact. When we turn on the oven it doesn’t light right away. Then, when it does light, a small explosion happens inside the oven. I talked with my trusty local appliance store person, and it sounds like it’s a part called an igniter. (Our stove runs on natural gas.) And it will cost (approximately, don’t quote him on this, he says) around $250.00 for a repairman to come to my house and get it working right.

Decisions, decisions….

And here is where all of the decision making starts to happen. Is $250.00 too much to invest in a 10-year-old stove? This isn’t a project we are willing to attempt to DIY, since it involves gas. Flammable gas. We want to trust this to someone who knows what they’re doing.

So, I told the appliance store guy I would think about it and get back to him. Then Grampy and I talked it over. We did a little online shopping to see what the price of a new stove would be. I like the stove I have. I cook three meals a day at home. In addition to all the hours it puts in during canning season in the fall. My one complaint about it is that it is black, and every smudge and speck of anything shows. I have wished often that I had the same stove, just not in a black color.

So, we found some reasonably-priced stoves online. But they seemed cheaply made when we looked at them at the store. We found a stove with features we liked (for about three times the cost of repairing our old stove) and decided to go for it. It was hard for me to spend that kind of money. Then, shortly after ordering the stove, I realized I hadn’t read any reviews for it. And I am glad I did! The reviews were horrible! I cancelled the order and decided to repair the stove I have.

Trying to make the best decision for our budget…

Is this a wise choice? I hope so. Grampy says I could spend the $250.00 fixing my stove and something else could go wrong soon, and I’ll end up buying a new stove anyway. I counter that thinking with the fact that this stove has worked well for over ten years. I can fix this stove and possibly get ten more years of use out of it for my $250.00 investment. (I’m an optimist.)

I base my decision on experience. When my washing machine broke, the cost to fix it was nearly the cost of a new washing machine, so I bought a new washing machine. When my dryer stopped heating, the cost to fix it was minimal compared to the cost of a new dryer and it is still going strong several years later.

My parents had the same appliances the whole time I was growing up. If they broke, either my dad or a repairman fixed them. These days, it seems there is always something newer and better to buy, and advertising and sale prices make it so tempting to spend. I’m choosing to save the difference between repairing my old stove and the cost of a new one. While shiny new things are nice, I also have to remember the reason I’m trying to save money.

Have you had an appliance break recently? What factors do you consider when deciding whether to repair or replace a kitchen appliance?

Update: The repairman came to my house. He told me I did well repairing my stove, rather than buying a new one. Hopefully I’ll get many more years of use out of my stove!