2017 MB Air or 2015 Pro??

[AverageGuy]

I purchased a new in box 2017 MB Air 8/128 over on Black Friday on Amazon for $649. Someone recommended I look at 2015 MB Pro with slotted/upgradeable memory but used it is going for more!Have an old 11” that has 4 GB Ram and can’t update current OS. May give to my wife. I have several Macs and use this for document management and web surfing. Considered 2018/2019 Air but storage not slotted/upgradeable as on 2017. But giving up Retina display and new USBc interface. But has USB 3 and SD Card Slot! I will have hard time with 128GB but can prune my data and store offsite to make it work. Is this a good deal or should I go for newer tech??
Wonder if 8GB enough to run Catalina, as RAM is not upgradeable on any of these laptops!! I have to decide pretty quick and wondering if I am buying soon to be obsolete tech!!

 

[Saturn007]

8GB is enough to run Catalina.

128GB is often not enough storage as you've found.

Apple may well release new 13” notebooks with the “new and improved” keyboard in the next couple of months, so waiting is an attractive option! Depending upon one's disposable income, one could then go new or get last year's model at a discount.

One consideration is whether you need to run old 32-bit apps — if you do, Catalina is out as it requires 64-bit apps.

The 2015 MBP is a good device, but it's now 5 years old! Buying used is risky — and can be costly depending upon battery state, other defects (loose hinge, flaky USB ports, frayed connectors, etc.).