Why do you believe the life of a new fridge would less than an older one?
Unfortunately Bill. manufacturers stopped making their products better a long time ago, and started to make them cheaper to manufacture instead. I have recently replaced a less than 2 year old Bosch washing machine, out of warranty, and tub support spider has failed. I used to repair domestic appliances, and even I blanched at the youtube repair ! Plastic tub, held together with about 8 bolts, and about twenty plastic lock tabs, it suggested cutting the tabs off with a wood chisel and using just the bolts for rebuild, given that and the cost of parts, I scrapped it and bought a Gorenje from a local trader who is part of the Euronics chain. It has a five year warranty, and was about the same price as the Bosch. Be very careful of claimed energy efficiency. you usually find this economy will only be obtained at a particular setting. With fridges, this usually means it has to be set low enough so it would only keep food fresh for a couple of days in winter, you mustnt open the door, keep it absolutely full, and run it in a cold room like an outhouse or garage. I bought a Bauchnecht fridge freezer with a very high energy rating, it worked reasonably for about a year, (till the warranty was out) then went downhill over the next couple of years to the point where food went off after a couple of days in summer, even at the lowest setting, which is NOT economical. seems like the idea of one compressor for fridge and freezer, saves on energy, but wastes food! Replaced that with a Gorenje (three year warranty) and when it arrived, it is an identical fridge freezer, obviously made in the same factory, but with a blower in the back of the fridge, and so far, it is ok. Many of the brands we used to know and trust in the UK are now absorbed into the massive italian appliance manufacturer, Merloni, A complex operation, with two distinct companies, run by the sons of the original founder, and now largely bankrupt. If you buy Hotpoint, Ariston Zannussi , Candy, Indesit, or any of these
ASKO
Servis
Hygena
Diplomat
Electra
Whirlpool
Caravelle
Erwin Bonn
Ignis
Homark
Powerpoint
Proline
CDA
Hoover
Candy
The chances are you are buying Merloni! As someone who has spent a great deal of my life repairing domestic appliances, I can tell you that the quality has never been lower, and is getting worse year on year! There is no answer, and it seems to apply to everything electrical or electronic.