We moved cross country recently and I left behind my beloved Bosch SHU43 (a simple older white model) and needed to get a new dishwasher where we moved.  New for me never means going to the nearest Lowe's and getting whatever they have (too expensive!) So I began to look on Craigslist for a used Bosch.  Since this is now a several years-old machine, I thought I would post my experience buying one of these used.  It also provides a comparison of my experience with three used Bosch models.

I live in a rural area now so there isn't as much choice within a short drive.  I ended up driving two hours one way to pick up this machine and paid $320 cash for it, and got the business card of the guy who sold it, who promised he'd take it back for a refund if it was DOA.  The vibe was good so I took his word for it.

Before that I even looked at some models on ebay to get shipped!  Now that would have been risky...a scratch and dent model (especially the newer ones) might have had a warped frame and that would cause the very finicky magnetic doors on the newer models not to close.  (In fact I did get a newer model first that had a problem door...but that's a story for another review. That model number was ) In any case, the experience with the newer door problem convinced me, since I was buying used anyway, that I wanted an older model like this with a more "normal" mechanical door mechanism.  Plus, I was already used to the older tine configuration and can pack more dirty dishes into it than I could in the newer configuration that supposedly holds more. 

Since my previous Bosch was the simplest of all models and the "loudest" model of all, this one seems whisper quiet by comparison even though I know they actually make two levels quieter than this one. As I am writing now (the virgin wash after the test run) there is a gorgeous, sleek machine in sight, making a slight purring sound about 15 feet away in the open kitchen.  We moved to a studio loft so the noise level matters immensely.  Our bed is more or less directly above the dishwasher, with open air and just a railing for a noise buffer.  (The newer Bosch with the problem door was quite noisy from upstairs.  It was a pleasant sound, just a lot of sprinkling of water, but quite a bit louder to my ear than our old SHU43.) This one is the quietest of all.  It is my new faaaaavorite appliance!

I can't help it but part of the allure indeed is in its gorgeous looks.  This machine could not get any prettier.  It is the simplest of all front with the ever so sexy bar handle.  You can even hang a tea towel on it...and in our apartment that extra towel rack is valuable!   Plus it could be a freezer, a fridge, a cabinet or just a big pullout drawer.  It doesn't scream "dishwasher."  In fact, it doesn't scream anything, it just purrs with an occasional rumble (louder purr) while it drains between cycles. 

And the inside is beyond my expectation.  The inside is all stainless (the problematic newer one had ugly PLASTIC --polypropylene actually-- on the bottom!!!) which I'm sure there is a reason for but help me, I'd rather have a perfectly good old one with the pretty, shiny interior all around.  There are also more fold-down tines than my humble SHU43 (kind of like a BMW 318--this one is the 328!) so I have much more flexibility than with my well loved old white one.

Another sweet feature is that when I open it up mid cycle to add one more dish I found (which I have done about 8 times now since the cycle started) it restarts by itself.  I don't have to push "start" again like on the SHU43.  The newer problematic-door one would start again, IF I could get the door to close and not pop back open.  This one is not finicky, just beautiful and no drama.

I did realize that there are two drawbacks as I see it.  The first is that there is no display of the time remaining, not on the front or on the top lip of the door.  I got very used to that feature on the old SHU43 that now I came to expect it and now I just have to guess.  So if I'm waiting for a pot to be done to start cooking something--I just end up taking it out, rinsing it and starting to cook instead of waiting maybe 5 more minutes, because I can't know how long it will be without a display!  No problem though, really...it's a minor thing.

The other thing I realized is that I have to push the on/off button to shut it off when I open the door or it will start to wash again as soon as I close the door.  (Unless I made a mistake and opened it before it was done--because it was so quiet.)  The "clean" light wasn't on so maybe it was still in mid cycle.

Overall I am in love with this machine.  It is pretty, sleek and eeeever so functional.  If ever I need to buy a new Bosch it will be this style and probably the soupiest up model of all, even if I have to buy it new.  :)  Of course I'll check epinions first and make sure I get a well-rated one.

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 320