Buy new or fix 2011 MacBook Air?

[Reeay]

I'm seeking opinion on whether to fix or buy a new laptop.

My MacBook Air (2011 model) broke when I spilled coffee on it. The price quoted for repair was for $755.

1) Do you think it's worth for me to repair my 2011 MacBook Air, either thru apple or other less expensive mac repair place...

Or

Do you think that it's worth waiting for the MacBook Air 2014 and spend a bit more money?

2) I see that the new MacBooks CPU is 1.3 Ghz with option to get 1.7 for extra money. I think mine is 1.6Ghz. Is there a big difference here in terms of performance?

3) What do you think about buying a refurbished 2012 model? The price was about the same as the newer ones... When is it worth buying a refurbished older model?

Much gratitude for your help!

 

[maflynn]

I personally would get a new one. While I'm sure the repair will be fine, you get a faster CPU/GPU, and much improved battery life.

Which particular model were you considering, 11", 13" 256gb SSD larger?

While its not a bad machine, given the costs, I'd say you're better getting the 2013 model over the refurb just because of the superior battery life.

 

[spatlese44]

From a search of local craigslist, looks like you can buy a similar Macbook Air (or better) for about the same price. For that matter, you could look at it in terms that if you had never fried the old one, would you really be looking to trade it in for a new one? Just something to think about.

My vote is for a new one BTW. Battery life and future OS compatability are big ones and lets not forget about future value. Chalk it up as a $750 mistake and move on. One plus if you buy new is you can sell the old one for its screen.

 

[Weaselboy]

I'm seeking opinion on whether to fix or buy a new laptop.

My MacBook Air (2011 model) broke when I spilled coffee on it. The price quoted for repair was for $755.

Yeah... no way do you want to spend that much to fix that machine. I would get a new 2013 for the reasons maflynn mentioned.

Put the broken 2011 on eBay and just explain exactly what happened. You can still get some money for it even with it broken.

 

[curmudgeon32]

I'd check Apple's refurbished page and just spend your $800 there — same warranty as new. Refurbished 2013 models do show up sometimes (I bought one there myself) and as others have pointed out, they have MUCH better battery life — think nearly double — as well as USB 3.0 and faster SSDs.

And yeah, you'll probably get a couple hundred for it off eBay considering a lot of the parts are probably quite usable.

 

[Reeay]

Thank you so much- makes lots of sense what you are all saying.

I was thinking of the Macbook Air 2013 11" or perhaps waiting for the 2014 model as I read today that the 2013 model had issues with wifi.

 

[thejadedmonkey]

Heck, I'll sell you my 2011 Macbook Air for $755 shipped and in its box.

I don't think it's worth that much though. And related to Wifi issues, I believe it's a Mavericks issue and likely to be fixed by a patch, as I have access to 3 MacBooks, and they all began exhibiting wifi issues after upgrading to 10.9.

 

[pukifloyd]

Another vote for the new models!

You should sell this one for parts and put the $$ towards a new 2013 model. The refurbished models will save you a bit of money too!

Good luck