is free viking stove worth it? VGIC305-4BSS

[bc3]

Morning and thanks in advance for your help.

I picked up a FREE Viking NG stove yesterday that the owner just replaced with something...well...non Viking.  He was the second owner and the model was manuf.  03/09 verified.

What i know so far is that the gas stove tops work, but i believe he said the broiler did not.  I assume it is something simple like the igniter.

I was pretty excited about what i thought was a steal  (think IKEA commercial where the woman quickly walks to her car saying to her waiting husband "START THE CAR...START THE CAR!"

  **BUT**  after reading various things online today,  it seems that Viking has a premier name but not so much on reliability/ parts expense etc.

SO: gurus please..

1) is it really worth swapping out what i have now - which is a perfectly functioning Kenmore Elite and a happy wife?  The complaint on the Kenmore would be that the cooktop area is too cramped when using multiple larger pots  at the same time ( the rear burners deflect a lot of heat directly to the button/controls.)  The viking has no controls in back hence more cooktop real estate.

2)The Viking oven is almost 2" shorter in height.. id be losing volume for baking larger birds, multiple roasts etc.

 

opinion?

1- viking... fix it, clean it, keep it and sell my current stove..or  sell it?

 

thanks!  Bob

[Hiroshi]

Happy wife? Stop right there... 

There is definitely no outright advantage to having a Viking in place of your current unit, only details that may fit into your life differently... Upon perusing the parts list for this model Viking, it appears to be a DSI (direct spark ignition) system... For overall reliability and ease of repair I would stick with the igniter system you likely have on your current Kenmore.

Especially since you know it is already not broiling, it may be more trouble than it is worth.

 

[BC3CT]

Thanks Hiroshi

I guess I should say that the "wife happiness" thing has nothing to do with her love of cooking..that's more my gig..lol  She likes a good meal served rather than the process...

Q?  is the DSI one of "those" parts ?  (I.e  is: prone to failure, super expensive ,  Mfgr exclusive, soon to be obsolete or unobtainable for some reason? I don't know if we're talking about an 18yr old brittle electronics board or is it more simple than that?

Truth be told - I always thought it'd be a nice thing to have a "high-end" kitchen stove but would never drop the money for a new one.  I don't mind repairing something valuable with a little effort.   

Do you think there are any parts that may cause this to be a brick at some point? 

Thank you ..Bob