All these stories make me love my old stuff even more!
I bought our house in 1994. There was an old washer and dryer in the basement. A year later, the washer crapped out. OK, what are going to do? That's life. It, too, looked old when I bought the place. Plus they work harder than a dryer.
But that dryer, which I am guessing was already around 10 years old in 1994 is STILL RUNNING FINE! A Whirlpool. I've never touched it. Not even a new belt yet! IF it fails, I'm servicing it! It'll be good for another 20 years! LOL!