Base 2015 15" (used) vs Base 13" inch 2016 (refurbished)

[digitallegend]

i can buy a 2015 15" BASE model form craigslist. No warranty / no apple care and battery cycle count at 200. Bought in march of last year. Nothing seems wrong with it. Price is $1500 (CAD)
OR
i can buy a refurbished BASE 2016 13" for $1800 (CAD) from apple. Obviously brand new battery / 1 year warranty.

Whatever i buy will be mainly used for programming. I don't care that 2016 models need dongles. I have tried both keyboard and like both of them.

which one is the better buy? I am so confused.

 

[Mr. Dee]

The Craigslist is too risky. I would go with the refurb 2016 13 if the extra cash is not a burden. Then again, the Core i7 in the base 2015 15 might be suitable for your line of work. The more cores, the better.

 

[biffysix]

Go for the 15 inch 2015 on Apple Refurbished site. Else get the 15 inch 2016 base. 15 inch screen is way better for programming. Most people I see around town (Vancouver) have Eclipse open and the 15 inch models (2015) on bus, food fair etc.

 

[leman]

If that is the choice, extra $300 CAD for a year of warranty and a newer computer seem like a no-brainer.

 

[sunapple]

Yes, Craigslist is risky, but I'd go for the bigger screen in this case. The 13" from 2016 is a really nice machine though. Maybe there're other web shops that offer the 15" with a discount and some warranty?

I bought my 15" 2015 with dGPU second hand without warranty, got no complaints or regrets. I got a great machine for 2000€ that'll probably last me for a long time. It's just not the safest option, but safety comes at a price.