15" Retina i7 Quad Core/3.7Ghz /768GB SSD 16GB for $2150 a good price?

[ilu21]

I found a super maxed out Retina on Craigslist for this price. It'b obviously out of my budget/price range but I'm willing to go up to $1500-$1600 to buy this Mac.

What is it realistically worth? What major things do I need to look out for in order to protect myself and get a good deal on this Mac? Thanks!

 

[gnasher729]

I found a super maxed out Retina on Craigslist for this price. It'b obviously out of my budget/price range but I'm willing to go up to $1500-$1600 to buy this Mac.

What is it realistically worth? What major things do I need to look out for in order to protect myself and get a good deal on this Mac? Thanks!

Depends on the age. Could be 2 years old, could be 3 months old. 3.7GHz is obviously the "Turbo" speed (Apple advertises two speeds, a low speed that can be used 24/7 and a higher speed for short term).

A good first check is to see how much an equivalent refurbished Mac would cost you.

 

[ilu21]

Depends on the age. Could be 2 years old, could be 3 months old. 3.7GHz is obviously the "Turbo" speed (Apple advertises two speeds, a low speed that can be used 24/7 and a higher speed for short term).

A good first check is to see how much an equivalent refurbished Mac would cost you.

Yeah, that's the problem..nothing in the refurb store is comparable. closest one would be the 2.8, 16gb, 1tb for $2700

How much is it worth if it's 2 years old vs. 3 months old? I def haven't factored that into my decision making yet. Just basing off of specs, clean serial #, # of battery cycle charges for now..

I have a feeling it's going to take a while to look but I don't mind taking my time to finding the right one for me since I'll be using this machine everyday for the next 5-8 years.

 

[magbarn]

My biggest concern with a machine that old (I'm pretty sure that's a 2012 Ivy Bridge model) is the condition of the batteries. Run coconut battery on it.

 

[AdrianK]

My biggest concern with a machine that old (I'm pretty sure that's a 2012 Ivy Bridge model) is the condition of the batteries. Run coconut battery on it.

I'd have the same concern, then again it may still be cheaper to buy this machine and pay Apple the $199 for a replacement battery.

 

[gnasher729]

How much is it worth if it's 2 years old vs. 3 months old? I def haven't factored that into my decision making yet. Just basing off of specs, clean serial #, # of battery cycle charges for now..

I have a feeling it's going to take a while to look but I don't mind taking my time to finding the right one for me since I'll be using this machine everyday for the next 5-8 years.

If you assume for arguments sake that the MBP will work for five years, then a 2 year old one will work for 3 years, and a 3 month old one will work for 4 3/4 years. I'd say the purchase price should be divided by the years you expect it to work.

If you have a serial number, you should be able to find a website that will tell you when it was built, for example http://www.appleserialnumberinfo.com/Desktop/index.php (not a recommendation, just a Google result).

If you use the MacBook mainly or exclusively at your desk, battery quality may be less important.

 

[magbarn]

I'd have the same concern, then again it may still be cheaper to buy this machine and pay Apple the $199 for a replacement battery.

Why? When the OP can get the refurb with a new battery for $2339?
I'd pass on this unless the seller was willing to lower the price by a few hundred dollars, apple store right now has a refurb 2014 rMBP 15 with a much faster and cooler running haswell 2.8 ghz CPU, much quicker intel iris pro igpu when on battery power, slightly quicker nvidia gpu, better battery life, smaller but much faster 512gb pcie ssd, and comes with a 1 year warranty for only $100 more

 

[ilu21]

Why? When the OP can get the refurb with a new battery for $2339?
I'd pass on this unless the seller was willing to lower the price by a few hundred dollars, apple store right now has a refurb 2014 rMBP 15 with a much faster and cooler running haswell 2.8 ghz CPU, much quicker intel iris pro igpu when on battery power, slightly quicker nvidia gpu, better battery life, smaller but much faster 512gb pcie ssd, and comes with a 1 year warranty for only $100 more

Yeah I checked the refurb store and saw that same price. This guy called me telling me all about it and told me he's a reseller. He was straight trying to hustle me and I told him straight up that the price needs to come down and he gave me a $2295 as the best price for a maxed out model that he has with 2 battery cycles. I noped out of there. He sounded sketchy and so was his story. I'm continuing to look.

 

[ilu21]

Seller has lowered the price to $1991 from $2150. Battery cycle is around 350 out of 1000? That's a little too heavy of use for me, but if he's willing to lower the price a couple hundred, would this be a good buy at $1500-1600?

I honestly don't even need the amount of power and software the machine he's offering me. I'm that guy that always gets the next option; would you like a large coke, fries with that? Yes please. That's me.

 

[StockDC2]

What year model is this?

 

[Naimfan]

If there is no warranty remaining, stay away.

If there is Applecare remaining, it might be worth $1700 if perfect and complete wih box, etc. Without box, I wouldn't do more than $1600 if perfect, or $1500 if it has normal usage wear.

 

[ilu21]

What year model is this?

I believe it is a mid-2012. 350 battery cycle usage (which IMO is A LOT). He's not willing to budge on the price. And I'm not touching that with a 10 foot pole at $2k

 

[thekev]

I have a feeling it's going to take a while to look but I don't mind taking my time to finding the right one for me since I'll be using this machine everyday for the next 5-8 years.

I don't think you should budget that way. 8 years is completely unrealistic due to the potential for component failure and Apple's vintage policy regarding hardware service. I would suggest budgeting based on 3 years of service and get as much additional time out of it as you can.

I believe it is a mid-2012. 350 battery cycle usage (which IMO is A LOT). He's not willing to budge on the price. And I'm not touching that with a 10 foot pole at $2k

You never know how long a battery will actually last. The one on my 2011 (which is now dying of gpu failure) lasted roughly three and a half years. It had a bit over 500 cycles, and it was dipping below 80% health. It was also expanding. Regardless of cycle count, if the battery is more than a couple years old, I would keep in mind that you're likely to replace it during the time you own that machine. Battery service for the rmbp is $200 in the US if serviced by Apple. It's also a good idea to check the charger for kinks. I've had frayed chargers before. Results vary, but I take my notebook with me quite often. I'm careful with the cord, but their chargers are cheaply manufactured. Also for whatever reason they don't use cord reliefs, which might cut down on fraying.

 

[Brian Y]

Bear in mind too that quite a few people have started (yet again) to report graphics issues on the 2012 retinas.

 

[ilu21]

If there is no warranty remaining, stay away.

If there is Applecare remaining, it might be worth $1700 if perfect and complete wih box, etc. Without box, I wouldn't do more than $1600 if perfect, or $1500 if it has normal usage wear.

Warranty is good until Aug 2015.

Why stay without a warranty?

Also, if you wouldn't offer more than $1500 for normal usage..what would you offer for a, say for example, 2.5 ghz, 512 SSD, 8 Gb RAM Retina?

 

[Spink10]

Warranty is good until Aug 2015.

Why stay without a warranty?

Also, if you wouldn't offer more than $1500 for normal usage..what would you offer for a, say for example, 2.5 ghz, 512 SSD, 8 Gb RAM Retina?

You stay away from no warranty - because even after you check it out there many be a major problem that you cant always replicate in the few minutes you examine laptop.

 

[StockDC2]

I believe it is a mid-2012. 350 battery cycle usage (which IMO is A LOT). He's not willing to budge on the price. And I'm not touching that with a 10 foot pole at $2k

If there is no warranty remaining, stay away.

If there is Applecare remaining, it might be worth $1700 if perfect and complete wih box, etc. Without box, I wouldn't do more than $1600 if perfect, or $1500 if it has normal usage wear.

This guy hit the nail on the head. $1600 would be a good price if the computer is in perfect condition and $1500 if it has normal wear.

Also, 350 cycles on a mid 2012 isn't high at all. Although cycle count is an indication of use, you'd be much better off running CoconutBattery and finding out the charge capacity.

My advice would be to move on. I believe 2012 models were prone to display issues.

If you're serious about getting a good deal on Craigslist, download a notifier app. I've gotten some pretty insane deals that way.

 

[SD-B]

If you're serious about getting a good deal on Craigslist, download a notifier app. I've gotten some pretty insane deals that way.

what sort of app are you referring to?

I have both kijiji and CL apps on my phones that apparently do that but i find they never send me a notification right away. Its like a day later

if there is a known top app that will notify immediately, please let me know

 

[ilu21]

I don't think you should budget that way. 8 years is completely unrealistic due to the potential for component failure and Apple's vintage policy regarding hardware service. I would suggest budgeting based on 3 years of service and get as much additional time out of it as you can.

I just assumed 5-8 years because of my 2006 MBP that I'm still running. Never had any issues other than a couple batteries expanding but it's an easy fix since it's not on the inside of the computer. Just looking for a new one just in case this one dies.


You never know how long a battery will actually last. The one on my 2011 (which is now dying of gpu failure) lasted roughly three and a half years. It had a bit over 500 cycles, and it was dipping below 80% health. It was also expanding. Regardless of cycle count, if the battery is more than a couple years old, I would keep in mind that you're likely to replace it during the time you own that machine. Battery service for the rmbp is $200 in the US if serviced by Apple. It's also a good idea to check the charger for kinks. I've had frayed chargers before. Results vary, but I take my notebook with me quite often. I'm careful with the cord, but their chargers are cheaply manufactured. Also for whatever reason they don't use cord reliefs, which might cut down on fraying.

Yeah the battery life isn't very good and I would assume it's a bitch to change it on your own. I gotta do a little more research on that part and taking my time on finding the right fit for me. I appreciate you posting!

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This guy hit the nail on the head. $1600 would be a good price if the computer is in perfect condition and $1500 if it has normal wear.

Also, 350 cycles on a mid 2012 isn't high at all. Although cycle count is an indication of use, you'd be much better off running CoconutBattery and finding out the charge capacity.

My advice would be to move on. I believe 2012 models were prone to display issues.

If you're serious about getting a good deal on Craigslist, download a notifier app. I've gotten some pretty insane deals that way.

What is this Coconut Battery you speak of? An aftermarket company for Mac batteries?

And what's the notifier called? I'm just doing the old fashioned way of checking craigslist everyday.

 

[thekev]

Yeah the battery life isn't very good and I would assume it's a bitch to change it on your own. I gotta do a little more research on that part and taking my time on finding the right fit for me. I appreciate you posting!

Well it depends. I could probably change the battery in one myself, but I would have to use whatever batteries are available as aftermarket purchases. Apple doesn't consider batteries to be user serviceable items on the new ones, so they only sell battery service to customers, not batteries as spare parts.