What type of wall do you have? A nice access door cut into the wall might add some character and give you the access you need to accomplish your repair without total wall destruction. The heavy metal doors are typically available at your local drywall supply company.

Toda, Does the lid lock during spin? If so, it probably doesn't have a tub brake.

After reading all these comments, I'd like to say that drying your front-loader gasket thoroughly after finishing your loads is something you just need to do- it takes less time than writing these comments/questions! My Electrolux is 10 years old and I always left the door open; with a dehumidifier in the room I thought that was enough. I was wrong. I love this washer, but bought a new HE top-loader ( a big expense for us) and returned it after one day- it was worse than useless. We ordered a new gasket, since I realized that over time the old one had molded and was not salvageable. My husband replaced it with the help of the video and the instructions that came with it. He is handy but had never done anything like this. It was not as difficult as you might imagine and was totally worth it. Now I get down on my knees on my garden kneeling pad and just dry it completely, and put in vinegar with blue jeans loads (this also helps set the dye on denim if you don't want them to fade too fast). I also use vinegar and hot water for towels. Once a week or so I run a hot cycle with vinegar and dry the gasket, and leave the door open. I do not use chlorine bleach at all because of the environmental impact and because of sensitive skin. Also use fragrance- and dye-free liquid detergent, and I'm wondering how much of an impact these ingredients are having on the mold problem y'all are having. All is well, still got my good machine. Dry that Gasket!

Without saying much else, I don't think I'd spend the extra $1300 for the XL16.