When good appliances go bad

December 26th, 2008

The hot water goes cold, the air conditioner goes hot or maybe the washing machine's spin cycle is starting to sound like a Harley-Davidson rally. Alas, your warranty on the appliance in question expired long ago. Suddenly you're faced with a tough, potentially pricey decision: fix the broken item or replace it? Repair would cost less in the short term, but you'd hate to invest in something that could spring another problem soon. These guidelines will help you decide.