Airing Out Our Dirty Laundry

Oh em gee. Our washing machine broke down Sunday night and left a nice wet slick watery mess on our garage floor. The mister took it apart (there has been a problem before with it that he was able to figure out and buy the part and replace it himself) and determined that we are getting a new washing machine.
UGHHHHH. Not that I don't want a new one, I'd l-o-v-e a new one, but I was kinda/sorta hoping we could put it off until we could do other things such as remodel our bathroom, reside the house, paint the exterior, and finish the trim, oh and maybe get that couch and some new nightstands.
I tried to convince him that we could craigslist or thrift find one but my argument was weak. So a new washer it is. We will buy the matching dryer and pedestals (we decided to rule out top loaders)when we find a good deal on them since time is not of the essence on those, but we definitely would like to have a matching set.
Wish we had the luxury of waiting for a screaming deal but oh well. I'm sure I'll fall in love with it after that first load and forget all about my price anxiety. It sure will be nice to have a washer that might actually get some stains out! Here are the two we were looking at:

Image from LG.com

Image from ConsumerReports.org

The top washer is the LG 4.0 cu ft capacity Extra Large Front Load Washer in white, model: wm2101hw. The bottom washer is the Whirlpool Duet 4.4 cu ft capacity model wfw955wl.

The Whirlpool model definitely is the snazzier of the 2, with a silk cycle, steam wash option, and larger capcity. In it's defense the LG has a sanity cycle, which we are assuming is close that the steam option would have. However, the LG has a slightly smaller price tag at $598 plus 10% off at our local Home Depot, with the Whirlpool model being $594 at Sears.com.

Decisions, decisions! We'll keep you posted on which we choose!