We're lucky, my mother in law has worked all her life for Philips/whirlpool. So we always get a huge discount. But I have to admit, our washer broke down at the worst possible moment (don't they all). And even with the discount, it hurts.

Electricity is very very expensive here, so you really have to buy the most energy efficient appliances. This year the Flemish government gave 'eco cheques' to each family. The are 250 euros (350 USD) worth, and you can only buy energy efficient appliances. They are valid for two years. Unfortunately we received ours AFTER we bought our washer.