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About to Buy - Last Minute Advice

S

stylar

macrumors member
Original poster
Apr 10, 2010
37
0
I just talked with a guy near me on the phone, who I found through Craigslist. He's selling his 15in, 2.16Ghz Macbook Pro (with some good programs) for $700. I told him I'd call him back in a few hours.

So, can you guys verify that this is a good deal: http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lgb/sys/1678526936.html ? Do you see anything wrong with the description?

And, if it's legit, this would let me program for the iPhone, iPad, etc, right (since it's an intel mac)?
 
The apps it has are likely cracked because he should provide the discs too. Sounds like a good deal though if you don't mind using illegal software
 
Okay, and for the speed/memory the computer has, will it be fine for programming/graphic design? (I know little about what ram and Ghz and the rest all mean.)

Programming on apple devices like the iphone is also good, right?
 
stylar said:
Okay, and for the speed/memory the computer has, will it be fine for programming/graphic design? (I know little about what ram and Ghz and the rest all mean.)

Programming on apple devices like the iphone is also good, right?
Click to expand...

Yea it's okay. I would offer something like 600$ though because it's quite old, out of warranty etc. Almost all Craigslist prices are negotiable so pay what he asks, always give him an offer
 
Seems like a fair price. The machine is from 2006. The early 2006 had Core Duo (limit 2 GB memory). If late 2006 had Core 2 Duo and would accept a maximum of 3 GB or memory. Both had ATI graphics (good in my book).

Understand that this is a 4 year old machine... And for the same price you can could purchase a current model PC Laptop with significantly more performance. Of course that would be a Windows machine and not come with OS X installed.

neil
 
neilhart said:
Seems like a fair price. The machine is from 2006. The early 2006 had Core Duo (limit 2 GB memory). If late 2006 had Core 2 Duo and would accept a maximum of 3 GB or memory. Both had ATI graphics (good in my book).

Understand that this is a 4 year old machine... And for the same price you can could purchase a current model PC Laptop with significantly more performance. Of course that would be a Windows machine and not come with OS X installed.

neil
Click to expand...

Okay. Then I have a few more questions.

1) I understand it is old, but it should work fine, right? I can't afford anything more than $1000 (at the most). But, if I could find, say, a 2008 Macbook Pro with some more memory/ghz, would it be worth the extra few hundred dollars? (Say, $1000 versus $700 for the 2006 one.)

2) I know that a difference of 0.1Ghz isn't much, but what about 0.3 or more? Is it worth a few hundred? And how much does memory matter?

3) If it were between the laptop posted above for $699, and this ebay on for $799 with 2.2Ghz and 120gb, which would you go with?

3)
 
id spend 900 and get a brand new white macbook. That cragislist mbp is 4 years old and it is surely not covered by apple care.
 
i wouldn't do it.

you could get a unibody for 1,000 or less on craigslist.
at least i can where i live, but that might be because i live near chicago.
but honestly, a computer isn't really something you'll want to skimp on since you'll most likely use it a lot and for a long while.
if you have friends that you trust out of state, look in their area for craigslist if you can't find a good deal around you and have them buy something and ship it to you. i'd do it for you, but i don't see why you would trust me to do it since i'm only a stranger to you.
 
also, with the new lineup coming in (possibly) only a few days,
prices will be dropping. especially on the old penryn models or whatever they call those.
 
I looked at that one on ebay.. and I personally wouldn't consider that one.. it has big dents around the case.. apple may give you a hard time because of the dents if you need to use apple care..
If I were you and had about a thousand to spend.. I'd seriously consider a refurbished white macbook.. they are $849 through apple online refurb section.. and the refurb section occasionally has one of the non-unibody white macbooks for $749.. Even though it's a 13" screen, I'd rather go with one of these because the specs are similar if not a little better than the used ones you're looking at and they're basically new/under warranty.
If I were buying used on ebay or somewhere, I'd look for one that was in near mint condition with no dents and had at least a year of apple care left on it..
 
Thanks guys. I just scoured craigslist with 50 miles of me, and found a few newer MBP's for ~$800-1000.

I have emails in, and am waiting for replies. If and when I get any, I'll be back on with questions (probably).

Thanks for you help.
 
ECUpirate44 said:
id spend 900 and get a brand new white macbook. That cragislist mbp is 4 years old and it is surely not covered by apple care.
Click to expand...

^^ Seconded. Plus, MicroCenter has it for $799 after $200 instant rebate. There are 2 MC's in Cali, BTW - but I'm not familiar with what would be close to you. :)
 
stylar said:
Thanks guys. I just scoured craigslist with 50 miles of me, and found a few newer MBP's for ~$800-1000.

I have emails in, and am waiting for replies. If and when I get any, I'll be back on with questions (probably).

Thanks for you help.
Click to expand...

im sure u can score a low end 13 inch for around 899-999 somewhere
 
no.
you can get a lot better for your money.

why are you willing to settle for an old model?

and on top of that,
why would you buy now?
if you waited until tuesday (and if apple announces/releases their new macbook pro lineup)
prices will drop for you too.
 
SPNarwhal said:
no.
you can get a lot better for your money.
Click to expand...

Really? This was the cheapest I found after searching several hours today. This beats anything from the online deals and on ebay. I'm not looking to spend more than $1000.

If there are better deals (that is, better computers for a similar price), I'm all ears.

SPNarwhal said:
why are you willing to settle for an old model?
Click to expand...

I don't want to shell out many hundreds more for a new/newer model. If I could get a new model for $800, I would.

SPNarwhal said:
and on top of that,
why would you buy now?
if you waited until tuesday (and if apple announces/releases their new macbook pro lineup)
prices will drop for you too.
Click to expand...

If I were buying new or even refurb, I would for sure wait. But as I'm buying used, the laptops I'm after won't drop much (if at all) in price. amiright?
 
As somebody has already said you should get the new unibody white macbook, way better than the stuff you have listed, brand new, and can be had for the same price (possibly cheaper if student discount applies).
 
Given that rumors strongly indicate a new Macbook Pro lineup this month, and particularly this Tuesday, I would wait till the new ones come out. That means all the last gen models will be cheaper. That means you can easily find a 13" refurbed core 2 duo Macbook Pro that would beat the crap out of all the outdated stuff you are looking at ;)
 
Hazyb71 said:
Given that rumors strongly indicate a new Macbook Pro lineup this month, and particularly this Tuesday, I would wait till the new ones come out. That means all the last gen models will be cheaper. That means you can easily find a 13" refurbed core 2 duo Macbook Pro that would beat the crap out of all the outdated stuff you are looking at ;)
Click to expand...

Here's the thing: I'm going to be doing a lot of programming and graphic design, and think the 15in would be better in the long run. (Let me know if I'm wrong about this. Is the money worth it for the 2 inches?)

If the 13inch is worth getting, how much would the 13inch refurb be after prices drop?
 
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