drip dry

Our washing machine just broke. With laundry in it. Of course that would be the best time to discover that it doesn't work. Luckily I have nice neighbors who have agreed to let me use their machine until I can get to the store this weekend to purchase another one.

Our current machine is approximately 18 years old. Obviously in that time it has been doing a LOT of laundry so it's not unreasonable for it to break down at some point; I just wasn't prepared for it to break down now.

I am going to replace it with a front-load machine. From everything I've read front-loaders are better because they are more gentle on the clothes, use less water and detergent, and do a better job in the spin cycle thereby creating less stress on the dryer. They are more expensive though. I'm thinking of getting either the Kenmore or the Maytag. I know there are other brands but these two seem pretty highly rated.

Comments? Questions? Feedback?