Feeler (UK): 17" MBP Hi-Res with 160GB 7200 HDD, AppleCare ... OFFERS AROUND £1700

[Neutral Gamer]

I love my MBP but unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it!) I've just been offered a job in London and am gonna have to start commuting there from January.

Although it's no problem moving around the house with the MBP, having to take it with me on the train and tube and while visiting various offices in London on a daily basis is gonna be too much. I'm gonna buy a smaller laptop and I wouldn't mind keeping the MBP but if I can get a half decent offer for it I'll sell it and stop myself being too greedy!

It's 3 months old and in IMMACULATE condition - I'm a bit of a neat freak and wash my hands every time I'm about to use it and don't let anyone touch the screen! There's no scratches, no dirt and no smudges. It is absolutely perfect.

So here are the specs:



Intel 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo (Santa Rosa)
This baby is fast, I have multiple apps running and only seem to go up to about 30% CPU usage max!

17” High Resolution 1920x1200 Glossy Display
The glossy display coupled with the high resolution is unbelievably sharp and photos just look amazing. This is a real multitasker's dream. The best laptop screen I’ve ever seen.

2GB DDR2 667 Memory
I barely use over a gig.

160GB 7200rpm Hard Disk Drive
This baby boots up quick and launches apps quick.

8x double-layer SuperDrive

NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GT graphics with 256MB SDRAM

AppleCare until August 30th 2010
Remember this costs £279 all by itself.

Superior US Keyboard (larger Return key)
See below for more on this.

iWork 08

Tiger (came with computer) and Leopard (bought myself)
If you have software or hardware that you’re not sure will work properly in Leopard, you simply don’t like its look or want some bugs ironed out first then you can easily downgrade to Tiger.

Battery health of 119% after 35 cycles
That's right it's currently on 6566 mAh from the original of 5500 mAh! iStat, coconutBattery and Battery Health Monitor all confirm this is one healthy battery.

4 Apple stickers
Got 2 with computer and 2 with Leopard – The icing on the cake I say, what more could you want?! Haha.



As the US keyboard suggests, this is an American model as I got my friend to buy it for me from over there. It really was worth buying from the US, not only for the slightly better price but for the better return key – I’ve used the UK MBP keyboards in store and the return key is just too narrow! Check out this thread if you don’t know what I’m talking about:
http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=349635

Anyway with the exception of the @ and " keys being the wrong way round (which you soon get used to) there really isn't any difference. I've even got a proper UK power supply for it now (the first one stopped working and Apple UK replaced it with a new one).

I don't know how much I should be charging. The price now and when I bought it seems about the same with it currently being £2,268 (although you do get the 200GB HDD now instead of 160GB when upgrading to 7200rpm). So how many hundreds of pounds should I knock off? Any offers or advice on pricing would be much appreciated!

And finally, I live in Loughborough in Leicestershire but I can get down to London no problem or jump on the old train to anywhere else really considering I'm right in the middle of the country. Or you could simply come up/down to see my 17" beauty for yourself (I'm talking about the laptop :D) before you part with your cash.

I'll take PayPal, cash, cheque or bank transfer. Speaking of which is PayPal safe; I remember someone in this forum not wanting to accept PayPal for something - is there something I should know?

Anyway, check out the photos below (click to make them bigger; the dark one with the keyboard backlighting came out blurry, sorry) and salivate at my baby's beauty ...

Cheers :)

[ob81]

How about a trade for a 15" Macbook Pro and a bit of cash?

[Neutral Gamer]

How about a trade for a 15" Macbook Pro and a bit of cash?

That's definitely a possibility me old mate. Tell me more about your MBP; its specs, how old is it, what's it's condition like (and any dreaded yellowing of the screen), any AppleCare and how much cash were you thinking?

Cheers :)

[ob81]

Just hit you with a PM :)

[Neutral Gamer]

Just thought I'd say to any potential buyers/traders that I've been talking to ob81 and I'm pretty tempted by his offer to swap for the 15" MBP + Cash.

The only problem is that he's not in the UK so it's a bit of hassle sending things over. So if there's anyone from the UK who's thinking about it let me know soon as otherwise in a day or so I may well go with ob81's offer.

I'm willing to trade for Macbooks, 24" iMacs or 15" MBP's. As long as they're in excellent condition you're welcome to make me an offer!

Thanks
:)

[Fredstar]

Any interest in an exchange for a macbook black? How much are you looking for on top? Does the US power adaptor have any problems (need a convertor) for uk?
It is 2.16 core 2 duo, 2gb, bought a few months ago from the Apple store, near perfect condition, 3 year apple care with it.

[marclapierre13]

How much cash would you want ?(in US currency?)
I want to upgrade to a 17" MBP if I an

[Neutral Gamer]

Right, as no one has given any advice on how much I should be charging, I'm gonna make a guess as to how much I should charge. As I bought it from the US I managed to get it at a good discount so I'd be prepared to sell it for £1750 and £1720 if you don't want Leopard. That's over a £500 saving and even cheaper than the standard config model. I think that's pretty good. But if someone thinks I'm charging too little/too high please let me know! :D

I'd prefer someone from the UK as it'd be a lot easier and I'd like to get this sorted out soon before I start work. As I said before I'd be prepared to do a part trade but at least you all now have a good idea of what kind of value I'm looking for.

For people abroad, don't worry about the exchange rate. Obviously a Mac is a Mac no matter which country it comes from and I'd value it at something close to the equivalent used UK price. So don't worry Americans I don't suddenly want over £3000!

Any interest in an exchange for a macbook black? How much are you looking for on top? Does the US power adaptor have any problems (need a convertor) for uk?
It is 2.16 core 2 duo, 2gb, bought a few months ago from the Apple store, near perfect condition, 3 year apple care with it.

As I said in my post, the US power adapter was completely replaced with a UK one by Apple after the first one broke so you can plug it in like any other UK one with no probs! :D

The black Macbook may interest me and I've had a look at the Refurbished Store where your config Macbook is for sale and taking into account AppleCare I'd say about £700 would be the cash I'd be looking for or £670 without Leopard.

How much cash would you want ?(in US currency?)
I want to upgrade to a 17" MBP if I an

Do you want to swap your 15" MBP for my 17" plus cash or do you want to buy it outright? If you wanna swap can you tell me more about your MBP?

[Fredstar]

Right, as no one has given any advice on how much I should be charging, I'm gonna make a guess as to how much I should charge. As I bought it from the US I managed to get it at a good discount so I'd be prepared to sell it for £1750 and £1720 if you don't want Leopard. That's over a £500 saving and even cheaper than the standard config model. I think that's pretty good. But if someone thinks I'm charging too little/too high please let me know! :D

I'd prefer someone from the UK as it'd be a lot easier and I'd like to get this sorted out soon before I start work. As I said before I'd be prepared to do a part trade but at least you all now have a good idea of what kind of value I'm looking for.

For people abroad, don't worry about the exchange rate. Obviously a Mac is a Mac no matter which country it comes from and I'd value it at something close to the equivalent used UK price. So don't worry Americans I don't suddenly want over £3000!



As I said in my post, the US power adapter was completely replaced with a UK one by Apple after the first one broke so you can plug it in like any other UK one with no probs! :D

The black Macbook may interest me and I've had a look at the Refurbished Store where your config Macbook is for sale and taking into account AppleCare I'd say about £700 would be the cash I'd be looking for or £670 without Leopard.



Do you want to swap your 15" MBP for my 17" plus cash or do you want to buy it outright? If you wanna swap can you tell me more about your MBP?

Ah that is a little too much for me right now, the most I could offer with my macbook (comes with dvi adapter as well) is £450

[marclapierre13]

My MBP is the standard 15.4" 2.2ghz one. Installed is Leopard (install disks included), also windows XP, with the original disks as well. Also comes with leather case. Its in very very good condition, and is under 2 months old. Comes with everything + original box.
I also wash my hands before using it as well ;)

How much cash would you want on top?

PS: I think your asking price is to high because I saw some others with 4gb ram, hi res screen, and same specs for 1650.

[Neutral Gamer]

Ah that is a little too much for me right now, the most I could offer with my macbook (comes with dvi adapter as well) is £450

That's a pity cos you're in London as well and if you could've gone to around £600 we could've made a deal this weekend! Cheers anyway. :)

My MBP is the standard 15.4" 2.2ghz one. Installed is Leopard (install disks included), also windows XP, with the original disks as well. Also comes with leather case. Its in very very good condition, and is under 2 months old. Comes with everything + original box.
I also wash my hands before using it as well ;)

How much cash would you want on top?

PS: I think your asking price is to high because I saw some others with 4gb ram, hi res screen, and same specs for 1650.

That's fair enough about the asking price, at least I now have some kind of idea - as I said there's always room for negotiation! Anyway, you'd be paying in dollars and doing a part exchange so the price is really only relevant for those who want to pay all in cash in pounds. Anyway, I'll send you a PM with more info ...

[Fredstar]

Is the Applecare valid in the UK by the way?
I could get about £900 (cost £1200 with memory and applecare) for my macbook as it is literally a few months old (perfect condition) and I could get a brand new macbook pro 17" for £1530 with educational discount..no issues with it being an American model or anything. I am revising my offer to £400 (cash of course) and I think you should take it as it is a great offer and I believe as good as you would get imo.
Thanks,
Fred

[Neutral Gamer]

Is the Applecare valid in the UK by the way?
I could get about £900 (cost £1200 with memory and applecare) for my macbook as it is literally a few months old (perfect condition) and I could get a brand new macbook pro 17" for £1530 with educational discount..no issues with it being an American model or anything. I am revising my offer to £400 (cash of course) and I think you should take it as it is a great offer and I believe as good as you would get imo.
Thanks,
Fred

Wow, mate am I missing something or have you actually LOWERED your original cash offer from £450 to £400?!

Seriously I don't think I've ever been so insulted before. Does the new MBP you can get for £1530 (and only if you're a student which most people aren't) include the High Resolution screen, upgrade to the 7200rpm 160GB HDD and 3 year AppleCare?

You're valuing my (also 3 month old as your MB and in perfect condition) MBP at £1300 (900+400)!!! That's what you'd expect for a used standard config 15" MBP. And you're telling me that this is the best offer I'm gonna get? And to say that you won't have "...any issues with it being an American model..." is just being petty. It's only the @ and " keys that are reversed which you can get software to set properly and erm ... that's it! Otherwise it's EXACTLY the same as the UK model with AppleCare and the power supply.

I'm sorry but you're the one living in dream land here. I've already had 2 people offer me their 15" MBP's plus cash. That's a £1599 MBP all by itself! I wanted to give a UK person the advantage as I'm a proud Brit and it would be more convenient but, seriously, it seems that the American and Canadian who've made me offers are the ones with the more sense.

I'm sorry if I've offended you but if you honestly think that a black Macbook plus £400 is somehow equal to my spec MBP then there is something very wrong with this world. I've found two people who understand the concept of value and I'll be going with one of them ...

[je1ani]

Jesus christ $1720lbs? I'm about to buy one factory sealed from Craigslist tomorrow for $1900

[marclapierre13]

That's fair enough about the asking price, at least I now have some kind of idea - as I said there's always room for negotiation! Anyway, you'd be paying in dollars and doing a part exchange so the price is really only relevant for those who want to pay all in cash in pounds. Anyway, I'll send you a PM with more info ...

Actually, this one I saw WAS in the UK, so it was in pounds as well. So i took the currency into exchange when looking at it (i had to look at the apple store as well as craigslist in the UK to get an idea since I had no clue what it was over there)


Im still interested :)

[Neutral Gamer]

Jesus christ $1720lbs? I'm about to buy one factory sealed from Craigslist tomorrow for $1900

Well as I said earlier £1720 is only a guide price and I'm open to offers. I'd happily go down to £1600 which I think is pretty good - you're still saving £300 for a 3 month old MBP from the price you're getting. So what's the problem mate? :)

EDIT: By the way Fredstar I'm sorry for any anger I had in my post - I've been drinking and I'm pissed at the moment as my old Uni mates have come down. I think my hangover will be great tomorrow ... :D

[marclapierre13]

Well as I said earlier £1720 is only a guide price and I'm open to offers. I'd happily go down to £1600 which I think is pretty good - you're still saving £300 for a 3 month old MBP from the price you're getting. So what's the problem mate? :)

EDIT: By the way Fredstar I'm sorry for any anger I had in my post - I've been drinking and I'm pissed at the moment as my old Uni mates have come down. I think my hangover will be great tomorrow ... :D

...
better not be drinking over someones new macbook lol.(seriously....) (edit: I hope you also remembered to "wash [your] hands" ;))

[Neutral Gamer]

Jesus christ $1720lbs? I'm about to buy one factory sealed from Craigslist tomorrow for $1900

Just found out from je1ani that he was talking about a 15" model which explains the deal he can get! Do people actually read before they post?!

...
better not be drinking over someones new macbook lol.(seriously....) (edit: I hope you also remembered to "wash [your] hands" ;))

Don't worry I had already finished drinking before I wrote that message! :D

[marclapierre13]

Just found out from je1ani that he was talking about a 15" model which explains the deal he can get! Do people actually read before they post?!



Don't worry I had already finished drinking before I wrote that message! :D

lol. Good stuff. Get back to me on that PM I sent you when you get a chance.
ttyl

[je1ani]

Just found out from je1ani that he was talking about a 15" model which explains the deal he can get! Do people actually read before they post?!



Don't worry I had already finished drinking before I wrote that message! :D

You're upgrades don't warrant a $1500 difference. I can get the same thing for $2100 SEALED same config! whoever would buy this at your price is getting raped :rolleyes:

[Fredstar]

Well as I said earlier £1720 is only a guide price and I'm open to offers. I'd happily go down to £1600 which I think is pretty good - you're still saving £300 for a 3 month old MBP from the price you're getting. So what's the problem mate? :)

EDIT: By the way Fredstar I'm sorry for any anger I had in my post - I've been drinking and I'm pissed at the moment as my old Uni mates have come down. I think my hangover will be great tomorrow ... :D

Hey man no worries, I am sorry if I came off a bit brash/insulting and fair do's - I was comparing educational prices.
Good luck with the sale, I am gonna pick me up a 15"er from the store tomorrow :)

[Neutral Gamer]

You're upgrades don't warrant a $1500 difference. I can get the same thing for $2100 SEALED same config! whoever would buy this at your price is getting raped :rolleyes:

Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth? Right, you can get my config laptop for £1050 can you? I really don't know what your problem is but good luck with the rest of your life.

Hey man no worries, I am sorry if I came off a bit brash/insulting and fair do's - I was comparing educational prices.
Good luck with the sale, I am gonna pick me up a 15"er from the store tomorrow :)

Thanks mate for being understanding about my comment (unlike je1ani who seems to have some kind of personal vendetta against me); I really was drunk and it was out of order from me. Good luck with your 15" MBP. :)

[marclapierre13]

Wow, you kiss your mother with that mouth? Right, you can get my config laptop for £1050 can you? I really don't know what your problem is but good luck with the rest of your life.



If he is like me, I think he means 2100 pounds- if he does mean pounds, which is what I think he means, he is actually correct, its under 2100 pounds for that laptop. If he means US dollars, then he is out of his mind lol.
The reason I say $2100 when talking to a UK person, is because I dont know how to do the pounds sign on my US keyboard lol. (and figure that they know Im talking in their currency)

PS: Still waiting on a reply from you neautral gamer- thought we were going to wrap this transaction up?
Lemme know, thanks dude,

[je1ani]

If he is like me, I think he means 2100 pounds- if he does mean pounds, which is what I think he means, he is actually correct, its under 2100 pounds for that laptop. If he means US dollars, then he is out of his mind lol.
The reason I say $2100 when talking to a UK person, is because I dont know how to do the pounds sign on my US keyboard lol. (and figure that they know Im talking in their currency)

PS: Still waiting on a reply from you neautral gamer- thought we were going to wrap this transaction up?
Lemme know, thanks dude,

$2100 USD. And to Neutral I don't have anything against you just your arrogance and used car salesman like tactics. Don't try to call me out and than say i'm just trying to pick fights.

[marclapierre13]

$2100 USD. And to Neutral I don't have anything against you just your arrogance and used car salesman like tactics. Don't try to call me out and than say i'm just trying to pick fights.

Hm. factory sealed with hi res for only $2100 USD?
hmmmmmm.

Neautral gamer, im still interested if you want to wrap this up. Let me know soon please, if you want to or not. Tnxs.