I love my front load machine which we have had for about 5 or so years. Clothes are cleaner than ever and the machine does not beat them up. We are still using our old electric dryer and the washer so efficiently wrings out everything that they also dry faster in the old dryer than with previous machine. I think you will love it. But as to your question about pedestals. In the store where I bought mine they have a "scratch and dent" area and I was able to buy one for $60. It really is not damaged but it does not "match" the washer. Washer is white, pedestal is gray and it makes no difference to me. Our laundry room is in the basement so it just didn't matter. I would not want to do without one though. It would be very inconvenient in my opinion. The machine is not noisy nor does it seem to vibrate. My daughter, who lives in a different state was also able to find a mismatched pedestal at a decent price. So you might want to check around. I sure don't blame you for not wanting to spend that much on a pedestal.