Awl --
The list of reasons to replace a traditional top loader washing machine with a front loader is about an arm-length long -- it's rare that such purchase decisions are win-win-win-win, with virtually no tradeoffs.
What can be said about newer dryers vs. older dryers? It seems to me that there is not such a big diff between new and old, as, well, heat is heat, air is air, and cfm's are cfm's.
Any opinions? I'm telling the wife to just let the old 20+ year old Kenmore dryer run 'til it drops. Which is what we did with their top loader washer, which I regret, now that I know how much front loaders save.
Also, the washer/dryer price differential seems to be a lot smaller than it used to be. Iow, dryers aren't cheap, despite their ostensible simplicity.