Our washer and dryer are old and make lots of noise, but as long as I can wash and dry my clothes, I'm keeping them.
My DIL wanted a front loader to save on water, but she got rid of it because she said it did not clean very well. I don't know why that would be. Other than her pre-schooler, how dirty could their clothes be? Ours don't get dirty, just need freshened up.
Top loaders are certainly the way to go in my opinion