I bought my washing machine from a Comet online auction ( still comes from Glasgow clearing) you just have to know exactly what you are buying. If you pay £169 for a washer you will get just what you pay for.
As Handyman said, do not get rid of a machine because of its age, I have hundreds of customers with appliances well over 20 years old still working perfectly. Tell us exactly what the fault is and give a few more details such as make and model, try and find someone local who you can trust to check it out.
Dishwashers are a completely different animal to washing machines. I do a lot of dishwasher repairs but stick to Hotpoint/Creda and Hoover only. Even though I worked for Hotpoint for 12 years, dishwashers present a challenge because even within the same brand, the way that certain functions are controlled such as fill, drain, heating, timer advance, detergent dispensing etc can vary greatly from one model to another. Without specialised product knowledge dishwashers are more difficult to repair than washing machines.
Lord Nikon, I work in the Oldham area, let me know what make your dishwasher is and I will try to point you in the right direction.
Jim.