2015 Macbook Pro 13" i5 2.9GHz 8G RAM 512G SSD

[zenfloater]

Hi Everyone,

I have the opportunity to purchase a 2015 Macbook Pro 13" i5 2.9GHz 8G RAM 512G SSD from someone on CL for $1,150. It has about 80 battery cycles and in pristine condition. Warranty until June of 2017 with the option for me to add AppleCare when I purchase.

I've checked eBay and there are machines going anywhere from $900 -> $1300. Also the apple refurb site just loaded up on these machines and this config is going for $1440 + tax.

Can you please provide your thoughts on whether this is a "good purchase". I'm torn on which direction to go.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Tough call but I would pass

1) 16GB RAM min IMO
2) Could be a lemon and although can be repaired no instant replacement ie you have the hassle
3) Is it a reputable seller etc
4) Could of been a demo/refurb/etc etc

If this is at top of your budget and you intend to keep for a reasonable amount of time, unless its a friend I would buy from Apple

Else

Buy it with a card that gives you extra consumer protection etc

 

[Calby]

Well for me 8GB of ram is not enough I need 16GB.

 

[zenfloater]

Tough call but I would pass

1) 16GB RAM min IMO
2) Could be a lemon and although can be repaired no instant replacement ie you have the hassle
3) Is it a reputable seller etc
4) Could of been a demo/refurb/etc etc

If this is at top of your budget and you intend to keep for a reasonable amount of time, unless its a friend I would buy from Apple

Else

Buy it with a card that gives you extra consumer protection etc

This is exactly what I was thinking too. It's a lot of cash to drop for this machine without a guarantee. I can probably buy a refurb with my credit card which will get me an extra year of warranty protection and peace of mind.

16GB RAM isn't a hard requirement for me as I am using it more for Outlook, Office apps with WebEx sprinkled in throughout the day.

I'm also considering going with a 2016 model as an open box at Best Buy if available. Any thoughts on that?

 

[Sanpete]

I'm also considering going with a 2016 model as an open box at Best Buy if available. Any thoughts on that?

I love Best Buy open box. Same warranty and return policy, lower price. They have them online and in-store. You don't need a 2016, sounds like, but if you like them screen or speakers or whatever better, it may be worth it.

 

[SteveJUAE]

This is exactly what I was thinking too. It's a lot of cash to drop for this machine without a guarantee. I can probably buy a refurb with my credit card which will get me an extra year of warranty protection and peace of mind.

16GB RAM isn't a hard requirement for me as I am using it more for Outlook, Office apps with WebEx sprinkled in throughout the day.

I'm also considering going with a 2016 model as an open box at Best Buy if available. Any thoughts on that?

Another toughie

It's all down to at what point is it too much

Latest and greatest is good/nice to have but the reality of what you really need is sometimes boring

Many consider the 2015 over the 2016 as better value and the TB version should be avoided for this generation many seem to think

I think first point is piece of mind warranty wise the 2nd is the cheaper 2015 option means savings can be spent another day if you get bored in 2 years opposed to maybe a longer commitment with the 2016

No real answer but get the deal that gives you the biggest grin walking out the shop and the one that the other half is least likely to moan about when you explain your choice

 

[zenfloater]

Another toughie

It's all down to at what point is it too much

Latest and greatest is good/nice to have but the reality of what you really need is sometimes boring

Many consider the 2015 over the 2016 as better value and the TB version should be avoided for this generation many seem to think

I think first point is piece of mind warranty wise the 2nd is the cheaper 2015 option means savings can be spent another day if you get bored in 2 years opposed to maybe a longer commitment with the 2016

No real answer but get the deal that gives you the biggest grin walking out the shop and the one that the other half is least likely to moan about when you explain your choice

Yeah I'm leaning toward an apple refurb as well as it gives me the full year of warranty upfront. With the purchase from CL I will have to buy the AppleCare in addition to the cash purchase within 4 months. The 512G HD made the CL purchase attractive initially but you all make great points.
Best Buy open box currently is more than how much the machines were brand new a couple of weeks ago $1250. Tough decisions.

 

[SteveJUAE]

Yeah I'm leaning toward an apple refurb as well as it gives me the full year of warranty upfront. With the purchase from CL I will have to buy the AppleCare in addition to the cash purchase within 4 months. The 512G HD made the CL purchase attractive initially but you all make great points.
Best Buy open box currently is more than how much the machines were brand new a couple of weeks ago $1250. Tough decisions.

Lets try another way

Which one is likely to depreciate more in 2 years the 2015 already reduced or a 1st Gen 2016

I say this as it's natural to want the latest model but your equally likely IMO to swap out both in 2 years time, your likely to loose less on the 2015 IMO I you live in USA is my guess

Does that help

 

[ZapNZs]

Do you need a 512 SSD? If you can get by on 256, you could probably reduce the price by at least $200-250 on a refurb, and that's practically your AppleCare paid off (which I highly recommend.) If you need more space, you can add internal storage via the SD card bay and double your internal storage capacity (one thing I consider to be a major frustration with the 2016, as I love having this option.)

 

[zenfloater]

Do you need a 512 SSD? If you can get by on 256, you could probably reduce the price by at least $200-250 on a refurb, and that's practically your AppleCare paid off (which I highly recommend.) If you need more space, you can add internal storage via the SD card bay and double your internal storage capacity (one thing I consider to be a major frustration with the 2016, as I love having this option.)

THIS is what I have been thinking as well. So 256GB it is .. but now it's a matter of 8g or 16G RAM ...

 

[ZapNZs]

THIS is what I have been thinking as well. So 256GB it is .. but now it's a matter of 8g or 16G RAM ...

In my opinion, it sounds like your current usage will not benefit much from 16, unless you keep like 50 tabs open in a browser, use a crazy amount of add-ons/extensions that are RAM hungry, or work with stupid-massive Excel spreadsheets.

Can you see your needs changing much in the future? If they do, are you OK with selling the current machine and upgrading to a newer one with higher specs?

When I purchased my 2011 MacBook Pro 15, I got 8GB of RAM on it as I felt it was more than enough. Like a year and a half later, I found myself running multiple VMs (and you know how much RAM Windows eats...) and RAM became my bottleneck. That was no biggie since that RAM was easy and cheap to upgrade. Had my 2011 had non-upgradable RAM like the current versions, I likely would have wound up selling the computer and buying another with 16 gigs of RAM. It's kind of an extreme example, and I think part of it could come down to personal preference in that perhaps some people like upgrading more frequently, where as others would prefer to keep the same machine for a longer service life?

 

[zenfloater]

I wanted to report back on my decision. I got super lucky and found someone selling a macbook pro 2016 256 non-touchbar on CL for $900. I met with the individual and he even provided a receipt from BestBuy for the purchase. I noticed that he paid cash for it (when the price had dropped to $1250) and it was under 15 days of purchase.
I went to BB and told them it had a problem and they swapped it out for me!! Got a brand new one, mailed me a check for the full price paid on the receipt and I was even able to put it on my credit card AND get my Best Buy elite reward points for the purchase!
Killer deal!

 

[Tazoawake2016]

II met with the individual and he even provided a receipt from BestBuy for the purchase. I noticed that he paid cash for it (when the price had dropped to $1250) and it was under 15 days of purchase.
!

Which begs the obvious question: why did he sell you the laptop at a loss (at least $350) when he could have returned the laptop for the full purchase price??

Anyway, congrats on the amazing deal.

 

[zenfloater]

Which begs the obvious question: why did he sell you the laptop at a loss (at least $350) when he could have returned the laptop for the full purchase price??

Anyway, congrats on the amazing deal.

I wondered the same thing but heck, I'll take it!