Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.
Curt and I have a history of sticking with an oven/range until its final, gasping breath. Back in 1981, our $50 used unit succumbed in increments: first the oven, next a small burner, followed by a large burner, then a small burner. It was Curt’s first year teaching and coaching at the local high school; I was working for a CPA. We had just bought our first house and were living without margins.
I perfected “skillet dishes” until we scraped enough money together for a new stove, the cheapest, stripped-down “contractor’s model” the store sold. It had one large burner and three small instead of two and two; no self-cleaning oven; it was so basic a range the buffalos were still roaming on it.
Call me Dutch, call me Yankee Frugal, call me crazy, but I couldn’t justify getting a new stove until this one was worn out. And blast! That stupid thing Refused To Quit. The appliance repairman came back in 1997; I danced in anticipation of a new stove. Bob put in a new element ($17) and it was good to go.
That silly $200 stove is Still Working.
Except. The oven door is sprung. Opening the door is similar to a child safety lock on a pill bottle: push down, twist a little until you find the sweet spot, yank it open. That works. But if you actually want to bake, you will want a bungee cord to hold the door firmly shut.
Last night Curt told me my birthday present would be a new stove! What? The burners still work! 
Here is the Big Question: Electric or Gas?
I’ve never cooked with gas in my life but that is what I’m leaning towards. We have gas in this house but would have to bring it over to the stove. I know you must have an opinion. I would LOVE to hear it.
Excuse me.
I need to go work on my Hava Nagila…..People!! I’m getting a new stove!!!
A Living Pencil 
Hahaha, yep, you’ll get opinions!We don’t have the option of gas here. Being rural, we’re all electric. But I suppose we could install propane…. Growing up, my mother had a gas stovetop, and an electric oven. So when the electricity went out, we still have cooking facilities. Anyway, I really love cooking on a GAS stovetop. And there’s advantages to a gas oven, when you want your bread to rise… So, my vote? Go GAS! Maybe it’s ’cause the grass is always greener….
Oh how wonderful!!! Gas would be my choice if I could replace mine (At least, for the stove top — I’ve never used a gas oven, so I don’t know anything about them.)… I had a gas stove in my first house and LOVED it.
I’ll be interested to read the responses– we have gas to the house but not to the stove here too, and I dream of a gas stove. Our last house had one and it was wonderful, especially during the ice storm that knocked out power— chili for us and the neighbors too!
Sounds like us a couple o’ years ago We decided to go gas&electric: gas stove top & electric oven. We also decided not to buy the cheapest (but not the most expensive either – there are quite a few pretty ones out there (Lacanche, Westahl, Aga). My s-i-l bought a not so expensive gas top & gas oven; she loves baking with gas – the problem: her lowest temperature setting 180 deg C/ 356 F. If you go gas-gas check that you have a varying temperature setting. Look at the racks in the oven as well – take your favorite pots with and check that they fit comfortably. We also looked at the knobs Some were bulky & plastic, others were streamlined & metal. Do you like stainless steel e.g? The brushed steel finish is easier to clean and does not leave fingerprints. I must tell you – we looked at many many many stoves/ovens – and it was worth it. We decided on a smegg. Enjoy!
Gas range. Electric oven. Those are my choices/votes
Gas!!! I love my really old one with a pilot light because it’s a natural proofing oven as well as dehydrator. I know we lose gas on it but I love it. The only thing i would recommend…….get an oven thermometer! At 300 my stove is really @ 350. It probably has more to do with age than anything. Unfortunately, I don’t think they sell stoves with pilot lights anymore. Maybe you could find one used?
SO FUNNY.Get a load of this:Our fridge died YESTERDAY. I have never been so joyous about the death of an appliance in.my.life. So we’re in the throes of Steph saying ‘We’re a big family! We’ll have this appliance for years! Let’s get one we REALLY LIKE!’ and Scott, the pastor, the keeper of the budget, saying ‘Wonderful! We can buy the most energy-efficient, cheapest, no bells and whistles model we can find!!’ Blech. I’ll let him win. But when the Range/Oven dies, I am READY. And I will NOT go down without a fight.We have had electric for the 10 years of our marriage – I grew up with it, as well. We moved into this house and it came with a gas range AND I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT. SO much easier to regulate the heat, SO much quicker.. the oven does indeed need a thermometer, as it seems to be a bit off, but it warms up SO quickly… and for the stove top, when you turn it off, it’s OFF. I LOVE that. I’m big into retro stuff, and I recently found this one – it’s now on my wish list for SOMEDAY…retro range
I dream of a gas stove…
I can’t believe anyone would choose electric over gas, but if they would I would be curious to know the reason. We’re rural too and got a propane tank for a gas stove and gas dryer. It’s easier to regulate and adjust the heat, and as the other person said, when the power is out (happens every winter), we can have coffee, therefore it’s not a crisis.
Carol, I would love a gas stovetop. The oven I could go either way, but controlling the heat with gas flame? That’s cookin’.Keep us posted. Very fun prospect.Love,Di
We’ve had both over the course of our 33 years of marriage, and gas is so nice to work with–easier to get the flame exactly like you want it. My son in law is a chef, and that’s his preference too for that reason. My husband is a mechanical guy, and we got a Bosch range! i just find that funny. The cool thing is that after we’ve already owned it for probably 5 years, i just found out how to set it to wait then start what you’ve placed in the oven and then stop after a certain time. And honestly, i DID read the book!
GAS!I’ve had both — the only reason I like electric at all is that I’ve had a couple of smooth-top ranges and they are so easy to keep clean, it’s wonderful. But I still much prefer cooking on gas.
Gas here, too! We put in a propane tank and ran propane lines to our house when we bought it. (The former owners built it to be all electric.) I grew up with a gas stove and Terry prefers gas because you can control the heat on the burners more precisely. Gas burners heat up more quickly and you can turn it off quickly. It was not difficult to run gas lines throughout our house to the dryer, stove and heater. We hired a heating/cooling guy to do it but it wasn’t very expensive.I’m pretty sure a gas stove/oven is cheaper to use than electric, at least as long as propane or natural gas isn’t too high. Propane has declined in price this year.
What fun!We’ve had both through the years, and now are in a house that came with an electric stove top and two electric ovens. If this stove top ever dies (and I’m like you, I will milk an appliance until its very last gasp) Steve has said we should get a gas stove top. The ovens would stay electric. And we do have gas in the house (for the furnace), but I wonder how I would feel about having an electric bill AND a gas bill year-round? That would be the sticking point for me. I love not having a gas bill from March through November… .
ELECTRIC! Down here, electric stayed the same cost but gas doubled in cost in a year. Yep, gas cooks better, but if you can’t afford groceries, it doesn’t really matter! (Srsly, I’d check the monthly cost where you live…)Why is it husbands can justify a specialized screwdriver that they’ll use once a month (tops), but not a decent stove we’ll use 2-3 times a day??
GAS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Alright, maybe a bit overkill on the exclamation points.(I even prefer it for an oven. The pilot lite is great for yogurt and rising bread.)O bother, I just read r1r2ish, and she’s right. Had to switch out from gas at the rental in E, OR. However, check out propane as well as natural gas, and don’t forget that the gas attachments are different for those gasses. Propane is nice, especially if the power quits. (Like it NEVER does that here!!)
I burn my eyebrows off when I light the grill. I don’t dare cook with gas. Ha ha. I love, love, love my JenAir electric/convection oven. I think gas leaves a film in the house, but maybe it was just that my husband’s ex-wife never cleaned. Happy oven shopping.
Gas. G A S No discussion. You just can’t regulate an electric burner.
They fixed the fridge. Rats. I was really hoping to replace it.Come on, compressor! Be on your last legs BEFORE our one year home warranty runs out!!!!:)
Nine years back we hosted a missionary couple from India. He, Calvin, an American; she, Geeta, Indian. They were visiting our church in Colorado Springs, but they were not just random sojourners. Calvin is the brother of our friend Susanna Hurley in Enterprise, OR. We ended turning the table of hospitality upside down when we invited them for a Sunday meal, but asked that if we provided the ingredients, would they cook an Indian meal? I think that took them a bit by surprise, but they graciously agreed. As dinner time approached, Geeta announced that it was not possible for her to cook chapatis on an electric stove. It just so happened however that in their tiny, pickup truck camper there was a gas stove. So after she had rolled out twenty-some chapatis she took them out into our driveway and cooked them in the back of pickup on a proper cooktop.A couple years later they visited us again. This time at a different house. The first thing I did when we had moved in was to take out the electric stove and replace it with gas. Geeta approved and we cooked chapatis indoors.So there’s my answer. If you want to cook chapatis well, or anything else for that matter, go gas! (And I agree with above commenters, an electric oven.) I got a great price at Arrow Appliance in La Grande for the Alder St. house.
@Wildflowersp – You are hilarious!