Advice, please.

[Vertigo50]

This is long, so thank you for reading it if you have the time.

I'm planning to buy a Macbook Pro soon. I'm debating whether to buy a used one now or wait and see if something new comes at WWDC.

The used Macbook Pro is a June 07 model, with Santa Rosa chipset, LED backlighting, etc. It's a really nice one and 10 months old. I can probably talk him down to $1500, AND it includes a wireless mouse and keyboard, Airport Extreme, and a Canon printer. The Airport and printer have never been opened.

The other issue is that there are so many problems coming out with the new Macbook pros, that I'm starting to steer away from those anyway, and if they announce new designs, it will be a 1.0 product, not to mention the price difference of $700 if I pay tax, and $400-500 if I don't.

Basically, if I get the used one, I get a LOT of extras, some of which I would have bought anyway, and a huge price savings.

On the other hand, they could announce something mind-blowing at WWDC.

So, the big questions:

How likely do you think it is that we'll get something at WWDC that will be big enough to make me regret buying this?

What would you do?

 

[MacDann]

Buy it.

If people didn't fret about what was coming out tomorrow, this board would be like a morgue. As I have told my clients every time they ask, "So will something better be out next week?" if you worry about the latest and greatest, as opposed to "Will this do the job I need it to do?" then you should become a Luddite and go back to using paper and pencil.

If it's what you want and need and it's a good deal, do it and don't look back. I am composing this on a 15" CD MBP refurb that I bought for well under what a new machine cost at the time. It serves me as well as a brand new MBP would, but I have the additional satisfaction of knowing that I saved a boatload of money in the process.

Never look back...

MacDann

 

[Vertigo50]

Thank you. I really needed to hear that, and of course, you're right.

It's strange. I'm always such a penny pincher with everything that I sort of decided to treat myself on this one thing, but I still get a LOT of satisfaction knowing that I got something for less than it's probably worth, and in this case, I would be doing that.

I think the combination of getting a kick-a** Macbook Pro, saving a bunch of money on it, and getting extra crap will probably add up to more satisfaction in the long run.

Besides, if they announce something mind-blowing in June, I can always sell this one and buy a used version of the mind-blowing laptop next year for cheap.

Thanks again.

 

[tersono]

Sounds like a fabulous deal. I'd go for it. Whatever they do introduce, it's not going to be _that_ much better and it's certainly going to cost you more. Personally I wouldn't hesitate....

 

[Vertigo50]

Thanks tersono.

When you consider that the same laptop (last year's model) sells for $1800 on Amazon new, and that I'm getting $375 in extras, I really think $1500 is a steal! That's assuming that I can get him to take $1500 of course.

 

[Vertigo50]

Just a little update to the story:

He countered back an offer of $1600 for JUST the laptop.

Once I stopped laughing, I explained to him that I could buy his exact model of Macbook Pro on Amazon brand new for $1644 after rebate. No tax, free shipping, and a full 1-year warranty instead of his 10 month old laptop.

People can really fool themselves about how much something is worth, can't they?

I suppose I understand what happened. He paid full price for the Macbook Pro, and full price for all the extras. I'm sure he paid full tax as well. So now, he's probably subtracting a certain percentage from that number, and assuming it's worth that.

So now he's stuck, because he paid too much in the first place, but he's going to feel cheated if someone pays him what everything is actually worth today.

It's kind of sad.

 

[alphaod]

For a value of a computer I'd take the price you bought it at retail and take 40% off the value for every year from the previous.