Dear Friends,
Being an Mechanical Engineer, my advice to you is, do not go for automatic washing machines . Reason being the complications in the electrical circuits definately creats problems within some months, especially at the POWERCUT TIME . bE SIMPLE - BUY SIMPLE .
For this I am using HAIER Washing machine for my home . It is basic model having capacity of 6Kgs . It is very good for the family of 5 at present . I have purchased it 4 years back and it is running since without any problem . Yes! You have to take pains to lift the washed clothes from washtub & transfer them to dryer . But the advantage is anybody even a newbie can also wash the clothes from this machine . It is top loading type, and aquire very little space .Very useful in rainy season!