How much is my Mid-2009 17" MacBook Pro worth?

ideal.dreams said:

Hey guys,

I have a Mid-2009 17" MacBook Pro that I may be looking to sell in the near future. How much will I be able to get out of it? It's sat on my desk since I got it and doesn't have any damage whatsoever. Never dropped, scratched, anything.

I paid $2500 for it, hopefully I can get some money back out of it.

Thanks.

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I did a quick search on eBay for your model. Completed and current listings show it going for something in the $1,000 to $1,400 range. If it's in excellent condition, as you've said, and if you have the original box, install disks, and/or other accessories you'll get in the higher range.

Mac2Sell (http://www.mac2sell.net/) says $1,170.

Bottom line: if you sell now during the holiday buying season you'll probably get $1,300. No promises, of course.

I think the 17" has declined in popularity somewhat over the past couple years. It's always a matter of how fast something is compared to the latest. I predict macbook pros will take some harsh depreciation as the Airs continue to improve. Craigslist might work too. Someone may be willing to pay more if they can see the pristine condition up close.

Why do you want to sell it in the near future? Upgrade?

How much is my Mid 2009 17" Mac book Pro

Hello
Just use the google search engine and type any keyword or phrases in their search index that you want to
result.

ideal.dreams said:

Ouch - this was a Christmas gift from my Dad, there's no way he'll let me sell it for that low compared to what he paid for it. Looks like I'll be holding on to it.

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Actually, I think the $1,300 estimate is high - I've seen them go for $900 in my area, and bought one last March or so for $850, complete with box and restore discs.

So I'd say $1000 would be a more realistic figure, adding $100 more if you have Applecare. The i5/i7 models, and particularly Sandy Bridge, have hurt the price of Core 2 Duo models, and the 17" models seem to have been particularly hard hit, perhaps in part for the reason thekev suggests.

you might be able to sell it for up to $1,300 or more but the - average selling price is $825. Currently that is the average price for one on ebay with a few extras like Apple care time, or software loaded. I use Terapeak software to scan all ebay sales to get a good idea about pricing, sell through ratio, time of day or week for sales...

Remember, the 2009 C2D CPU's run have about 1/3 the horsepower of todays models as measured by geek scores, 3800 vs 1050 scores

click on the attachments to see some specs

ideal.dreams said:

Yes, I would like to upgrade before I start college next fall.

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You could always throw in 8 Gigs of RAM and a 7200 RPM hybrid drive (or SSD, if you want to spend a little more).

I think Seagate sells 500 GB hybrid drives for around $120, depending on where you shop. Or, if you don't use the optical drive, buy a small SSD for apps and use the HD in the optical drive bay.

8281 said:

You could always throw in 8 Gigs of RAM and a 7200 RPM hybrid drive (or SSD, if you want to spend a little more).

I think Seagate sells 500 GB hybrid drives for around $120, depending on where you shop. Or, if you don't use the optical drive, buy a small SSD for apps and use the HD in the optical drive bay.

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Yeah, if selling isn't an option then an upgrade would be a good idea. A would highly suggest buying a SSD. The performance difference between a 5400 RPM HDD and a good SSD are astonishing.

Nielsenius said:

The price difference between a 7200 RPM HDD and a good SSD is astonishing.

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Fixed it.

As corrected, I agree.

You mention that you want to sell it to "upgrade" to a newer model.
Honestly, you won't gain much from an upgrade to a newer model, as far as speed goes. I have an even older model - a Core2Duo from January 2007, and honestly, it's fine for my needs.

What exactly will you be doing with it that you feel that it needs to be "upgraded?" Video encoding/transcoding? Heavy graphics processing?

I say keep it for a while longer, unless of course, you want the benefits of a newer laptop, like more battery, shinier screen, etc... But as far as power goes, it should be more than plenty for your day-to-day work as a student, and then some.