Can high resale value lessen the big initial cost?

[Hyloba]

So I was thinking. High initial cost sucks and is like a blow in the wallet, but are we taking into account the high resale value later on?

I have been using a samsung notebook for 3 and a half years and I've been wanting to replace that device every year, but now I need it gone. It cost me 900€, which was quite cheap for an ultrabook, but I don't think I can ask much for it anymore. So in the end, even if it was a cheap 900€, it cost me 250€ per year and a lot of frustration.

Now If I now buy a well specced 13 inch MBP for 2300€, and I use it for 4 years, 1300€ wouldn't be that bad a price to ask for such a high performance device right? That's also 250€ a year, just like my samsung. I could even ask 1100€, that's 50 euro more each year, which I would gladly pay for a less frustrating experience.

Thinking like this makes me put the high initial cost in perspective and calms my mind. Unless resale value significantly drops, or it gets stolen or I break it or it stops working.

 

[mattopotamus]

Lately I have been upgrading every 2 years, base models only. That is where you take the least hit, and that is what most people in the second-hand market are after. Obviously the prices are higher for Macs this year, but it helps significantly with cost.

I just sold a 2015 rMB for $800 that I paid a little over $850 for a year ago (after discount and best buy still took 10% movers coupons). That is an extreme case of getting a lot back, but I usually get 2/3 of the cost back.

 

[Hyloba]

Lately I have been upgrading every 2 years, base models only. That is where you take the least hit, and that is what most people in the second-hand market are after. Obviously the prices are higher for Macs this year, but it helps significantly with cost.

I just sold a 2015 rMB for $800 that I paid a little over $850 for a year ago (after discount and best buy still took 10% movers coupons). That is an extreme case of getting a lot back, but I usually get 2/3 of the cost back.

That may indeed seem like the most cost effective method, and would please my inner child having a new decide every 2 year.

However the other part in me doesn't want to participate in creating so much materialistic waste, and I would feel more at ease if the machine can live a longer life because of the higher specs.

 

[mattopotamus]

That may indeed seem like the most cost effective method, and would please my inner child having a new decide every 2 year.

However the other part in me doesn't want to participate in creating so much materialistic waste, and I would feel more at ease if the machine can live a longer life because of the higher specs.

Well I'm selling it to someone who will keep using it

 

[Hyloba]

Well I'm selling it to someone who will keep using it

I may have to rethink my strategy then. Would work for me if I can manage with 8gb of ram and 256gb of storage for two years. Buy for 1880€, then sell it for 1380 after 2 years.

Thanks for your input!

 

[tubeexperience]

Don't think about resell price.

Just think about the price that you are buying right now.

 

[Hyloba]

Don't think about resell price.

Just think about the price that you are buying right now.

It's hard not to with such a high price. I also think about resale when I buy a car, otherwise I would never risk buying a higher priced one. Same will be when I buy a house, It's a lot of money and it will take years to save, but at least you can get a big portion back if not gain some (but who knows what the economy will do). Either way it's always a gamble.

 

[Bending Pixels]

Some of us don't buy stuff with it's resale value in mind. We purchase things like a a MacBook Pro with the intent to use it for as long as possible.

 

[Bryan Bowler]

It is impossible to predict what the resale advice will be down the road. Buy what you can afford, need, or desire now.

 

[Hyloba]

Some of us don't buy stuff with it's resale value in mind. We purchase things like a a MacBook Pro with the intent to use it for as long as possible.

That's also a possibility of course. But I would have to keep it for 8 years to make the most out of it, which seems like a long time for a laptop.

Either way, to each his own.

 

[Allard]

I think it's pretty wise to consider resale value when buying a new Apple anything. If you plan on staying in the ecosystem, the difference between retail and resale can be interpreted as a down payment.

Bear in mind that other players are encroaching on Apple's territory, so the stability of the resale value may be more turbulent in the coming years compared to what it's been like historically.

 

[tubeexperience]

It's hard not to with such a high price. I also think about resale when I buy a car, otherwise I would never risk buying a higher priced one. Same will be when I buy a house, It's a lot of money and it will take years to save, but at least you can get a big portion back if not gain some (but who knows what the economy will do). Either way it's always a gamble.

A computer isn't a real estate. The value don't go up after you buy it.

If you have to use the resell value to justify the purchase, then you shouldn't buy it.

___________________________________________________________________

What you have to do is to look at the product and the price.

Can you justify paying that much for the product?

Yes or No?

 

[MICHAELSD]

Yes. Macs hold their resale value better than any other computer and it softens the financial blow. I distinctly remember high-end $2500 Windows PCs selling for $200-$300 when I sold my 4-year-old MacBook Pro 15" MacBook Pro for $850. I'd expect the new 15" MacBook Pro to be worth $1000 in four years, so it's about $400/year to own it.

 

[zhenya]

The most valuable part of the new MBP is not the resale value - although that will be strong as it always is for Apple - but rather that this laptop is so cutting edge that it is still going to feel relatively modern 4-5 years from now. The things that look like hassles today will be showing their value over the years to come. The previous generation is going to start to feel really dated within a couple of years.