Meh. It's a crapshoot.
I mean, really. Any of us who have a machine we love and trust and haven't had numerous repair issues with, has an old machine that you can't walk into a store and buy. Any of the new machines don't have any longevity to gain any real knowledge about quality.
I can simply suggest that you spend a lot of time online researching the exact model(s) you may be considering. See what others say about that/those models. Maybe you'll find one that works well, like I did.
Mine is a Kenmore Elite+ Front loader that is probably 7-8 years old at this point. I've had a few problems with it, but nothing crazy. A few of which were even our fault/user error. (I say "our" b/c husband helps with the laundry and doesn't check pockets. One of our problems was a failure to drain at the end of the cycle. I googled the problem and found instructions on line for how to open up the front panel and open the drain filter and clean it out. I was shocked at the things inside... combs, pencils, hair clips, pocket knives, several dollars in coins, bottle caps, you name it... there was probably one in there... paper clips, marbles...) But most have been things that were sorted out without any expense of a repairman and didn't involve electronics.
Another time, the door was accidentally closed with an article of clothing caught in between the clear plastic of the door and the rubber gasket that runs around the opening to the machine. During the spin/rinse cycle, it got so tight going around that it pulled the gasket partially into the machine. I heard the racket, and stopped it, and it looked like I was in for a new machine purchase or expensive repair. Called out the repairman, but turns out if I'd known what to do, I could have done it myself. Just needed to get the gasket back into place and all was well.
Leaving the door ajar (it is water tight after all) helps alleviate any odor problems (I've never had an odor problem with the machine). Regular bleach can be used to clean the machine, no need to buy "special" products. And the clothes are clean.
It's been a good machine. Reading reviews online can be frightening when you come across some really bad reviews and "horror" stories. But do your research.
Kenmore is (or at least was) made by Whirlpool. There really aren't that many washing machine manufacturers out there.. A repairman once told me that Maytag is no longer the creme de la creme. And to stay away from LG b/c while you may not have any problems, IF you DO, they didn't have "local" repairman for the warranty work. This was several years ago and that may have changed since then... so again, go online and google and look at reviews.
Good luck. Shopping for washers is not fun. But if you can find a scratch/dent one in a store, you might get a great discount... just do your research on that actual machine before you buy. You don't need all the "bells and whistles" features if you aren't going to use them. :)