Appliances generally are quite reliable today, and most failures aren't particularly difficult or expensive to fix compared to appliances in the past. But there are also some limiting factors to spreading appliance cost over a long period of time. People may have limited funds (whether cash or credit) to purchase appliances, and if they can, they prefer to have them all up front. While in the past, it may have been reasonable to save up for years to buy a refrigerator, and use a root cellar in the meantime, that isn't socially acceptable today (nor is it a remotely viable expectation for a business to make of their customers). Also, people in the US move relatively often, and so it makes little sense to buy an appliance for the sole purpose of someone else's benefit.