Advice needed: Would you buy a discounted 2015-m7?

The only reason to get a 2015 rMB would be if you got a really got discount on it as in your case so I'd say go for it. I'd call the 2015 rMB a prototype BEFORE the 2016 model was released but since the latter has only received a speed bump, both devices are exactly the same.

To be honest, if I checked out this forum before I bought the rMB I would've never made the purchase, so thank god for that. It's a quality device and the 2015 1.2/512 is more than capable. I'm using the 2015 rMB base model and have not felt the need for more power. My daily needs are more or less the same as yours and I use AutoCAD as well.

 

Just curious, where are you getting a mint condition maxed out rMB 2015?

 

I bought the 2015 "M7" model (Gold BTO 1.3Ghz Base/2.9Ghz Turbo 8GB RAM 512GB SSD) because it was ~$500 cheaper than the 2016 M7 and when I looked up the benchmarks the 2015 M7 pretty much matches or slightly beats the 2016 M5 model while offering twice the storage for $150 less.

I think the 2016 M7 is a better machine, especially if you plan on playing games (which I don't do). It also does offer a slightly larger battery and a 200mhz boost in turbo bins.

You won't be disappointed with either one, I would suggest you take a good look at the colors in person because IMO the Space Grey is inferior to the other colors, which isn't evident from photos. I prefer space grey iOS devices, but not this.

 

The 2015 "m5" also came with 512GB of storage. That said, I agree that the 2015 "m7" model for $500 less is a good value compared to the 2016 m7.

Interesting comment on the color. I prefer the space gray. I have Rose gold on my iPad Pro and iPhone 6S, but think the space gray looks "classier" on the MacBook. Personal preference, I guess. That's why Apple offers it in 4 colors.