[underscore]

I tore apart two used front load washers that a friend and I bought, it's pretty easy to do compared to working on a car but probably pricey if you're paying someone else to do it. The components can also be pretty heavy and you need a fair amount of space as well. The Samsung at least had a big hoop on the top of the drum assembly so if you've got an engine hoist that'd be convenient.

One had two blown shocks (easy fix without even opening it up beyond the access panel) and a bad bearing, but when I tore it down to check the bearing the spider was corroded and about to blow apart. In the other the spider had already corroded enough to fail.

The stupid aluminum spiders (connects the drum to the shaft) get corroded by the laundry soap and eventually fail, it's impossible to buy the spider separately (even though the stupid thing is bolted on). It was either spend $500+ for a new drum assembly or $600 for a brand new Samsung from Costco. I said screw it and went to Costco. Since it seems like every brand has aluminum spiders that are going to fail, and they refuse to sell them individually, I see no reason to buy anything beyond the cheapest model that will make the wife happy.