Buying a used 24" iMac, what should I look for & know?

[IshDisturber]

Hello All,

I am seriously thinking about picking up a used 24", 2.8ghz, 3GB ram, 500GB iMac off of craigslist. It also has a 3yr Applecare warranty that I have verified on-line which is reassuring. Apple.com also indicated that it was manufactured in mid-march 2007.

My question is: What else should I consider and investigate when I go see and test the machine? Are machines built during that period reliable etc? Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[queshy]

If the deal is too good to be true...then it is...don't get scammed. If the price difference between this one and a refurb isn't much, I'd probably go for the refurb.

 

[SnowLeopard2008]

Go refurb. it puts people at ease of mind. the pricing shouldnt be too suspicious or else its a scam. just go refurb, it's like brand new, and sometimes you get upgrades for free, if the original owner ordered it with upgrades.

 

[shdowman]

How much is it?

I know a lot of student stores at colleges all over the place are offering that model for $1250 and $119 for the apple care.

If you know someone who is a student maybe you can convince them to help ya out??

I have seen those all over the place for about 1400-1600 unopened with new apple care.

I got the current gen 2.8 24" 320g HD with 1066 FSB and 6MB cache for 1500 on Craigs List and it was brand new unopened. So patience can be a good thing.....I kept checking all the time until I found the newer gen for the same price as the previous gen

 

[Sun Baked]

Here is the current and past spec list for the more recent machines...

http://support.apple.com/specs/

 

[IshDisturber]

Thanks for the reply.

I think the price is decent, not a incredible deal by any stretch.

I figured that the main positive is that the machine has almost 3 years left on the Applecare warranty which can serve as some protection.

I would obviously physically inspect it before I any cash exchanged hands. I just wanted to know if there are any specific things that I should look for to ensure all is well with the machine. Certain settings, specs, etc... sorta like a checklist to follow.

Suggestions?

 

[macdot]

I would invest in maxing out the RAM.

 

[queshy]

Make sure you verify the apple care...it's really easy for the seller to say their machine has "3 years of apple care".