I am in a quandary: to buy a new washing machine or repair the one I have. My 12 year old Kenmore produced a funny clicking noise when it should have started spinning the other day. The repair charge starts at $129 and I'm sure there will be parts involved, so I questioned the wisdom of investing a few hundred dollars in a 12 year old machine. Then I started looking at new machines. I hate my sons' front loaders. They love them but we have different needs. I often use my machine for soaking, treating fabrics, or dying & such... I assumed all top loaders would do these things but I am learning that the new top loaders are also computerized and, if I understand correctly, there is no access to the load once it is underway, so I could not let a load soak for an hour or overnight if I wanted to? Then the agitatorless motion & self-sensing water level offer issues that seem at odds with my uses. What are your experiences, likes and dislikes with the machines you use?