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Deal of a Lifetime??

C

crb824

macrumors member
Original poster
Feb 2, 2007
40
0
OK maybe not THAT good... but

MacBook Pro 17 Inch
100gb 7200rpm Hard Drive
2gb RAM
2.16ghz Intel Core 2 Duo
ATI Radeon X1600 256mb Video Card

THIS IS ELIGIBLE FOR AN APPLE EXTENDED CARE WARRANTY UNTIL SEPTEMBER 30, 2007.

I will restore it to factory settings and have it ready as if it were new. Condition is VERY GOOD condition. Cosmetically in very good condition and everything works perfectly.

I am also including a 160gb 7200rpm external Western Digital hard drive.

I am only accepting cash.
Click to expand...

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/sys/410414418.html


Love the part about cash. Looks like they won't be asking for me to send the money via PayPal or anything crazy like that. Do this?
 
crb824 said:
OK maybe not THAT good... but



http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/sys/410414418.html


Love the part about cash. Looks like they won't be asking for me to send the money via PayPal or anything crazy like that. Do this?
Click to expand...

Yeah I saw that two. If you go just make sure you have someone go with you to make sure the guy doesn't steal you money (rob you of your cash and run off). Also meet at a very busy place to have other people around you
 
They sent me pictures of it, and it looks to be in very good condition. It is definitely the 17in, but I guess the processor is under scrutiny.

At that price does it matter a ton if its a c2d or just a cd?
 
People can bounce checks and even bank cashier's checks can be suspect. Craigslist is meant to be a local transaction...If you go and pick up the laptop and he gives it to you, he deserves to get paid then and there. You are taking his computer, he is taking your cash. I think it's pretty reasonable myself. In todays environment that is what I would accept as well. How would you feel if you were selling your computer and someone slipped you a bogus bank cashier check?

As far as not accepting paypal....maybe he doesn't want a long distance transaction. Perfectly reasonable IMHO as again craigslist is meant for local although you certainly don't have to.
 
macjonny1 said:
People can bounce checks and even bank cashier's checks can be suspect. Craigslist is meant to be a local transaction...If you go and pick up the laptop and he gives it to you, he deserves to get paid then and there. You are taking his computer, he is taking your cash. I think it's pretty reasonable myself. In todays environment that is what I would accept as well. How would you feel if you were selling your computer and someone slipped you a bogus bank cashier check?
Click to expand...

I'm kind of confused by your angle. I am completely OK with Cash and thats the only way I like to operate on CL. Thats why I pointed it out. So many times you reply to a good deal on CL and they ask you to wire the money and they will ship it to you (SCAM). Not in this case.
 
crb824 said:
I'm kind of confused by your angle. I am completely OK with Cash and thats the only way I like to operate on CL. Thats why I pointed it out. So many times you reply to a good deal on CL and they ask you to wire the money and they will ship it to you (SCAM). Not in this case.
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm confused. I thought that maybe there was some suspicion that he was only asking for cash, and I was just responding that for CL I think that is reasonable. I agree that the western union wiring type stuff is a very bad idea...
 
Alright it looks like I will be meeting up with him tonight to check it out. If all goes well I will likely buy it. yippee
 
akonradi said:
Core 2 Duos have a small speed boost over the Core Duos, and the Core 2s also support 64 bit, which might help out with some things in 10.5.
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Ditto. Although make no mistake the Core Duos are no slouch either...
 
Well, you can always check the "About This Mac" to see if he simple made an error or if it's a CD. Also, bring some files on a usb key and test it on the computer to see if everything's functioning correctly. Burn/play a dvd (to check for superdrive), render a clip, see if the computer overheats or make noises. Put coconut battery on to see the condition of the battery. Check if the case is warped, if all the keys work, the trackpad etc. Also, check for dead pixels or graininess on the LCD. I don't mean to be a pessimist here, but when people sell something for cheap, there's usually something wrong with it. Ask for the serial number beforehand, and check with Apple to see if it's reported stolen. Ask for the original installation disks, manuals and packaging (although the box isn't a must). If it does turn out to be a great computer, then congratulations on the good deal!!
 
akonradi said:
Core 2 Duos have a small speed boost over the Core Duos, and the Core 2s also support 64 bit, which might help out with some things in 10.5.
Click to expand...

Also, the C2Ds can support up to 3gb of ram, and runs a bit cooler. It's rev B so it has the previous problems ironed out. However, you can get a perfectly functioning CD, as many members here had.
 
I don't keep up with second hand prices, but I imagine the older chip version (core duo) it is worth it for that price, my concern would be if they were trying to mislead--but it's probably an easy mistake to make.

The three options will be that they messed up the size, the chip, or the speed. You've ruled out the size from the photos, if they got the speed wrong, you actually get 2.33 (better than advertised, so unlikely), so as long as your OK with the core duo I don't see a real problem.

My wife has a 2.16 core duo, I have a 2.33 core 2 duo, both with 2 gigs. There's really no noticeable speed difference in day to day stuff. However, core duo can only take a maximum of 2 gigs and isn't 64 bit. The core 2 duo can use 3 gigs (or something like 3.3 if you pay for 2 x 2gigs), and being 64 bit might make a bit of difference when leopard comes along--don't have a definitive answer as to how much of a difference.

The core duo version was back when some people were complaining about whining sounds from near the magsafe connector and 'moo'ing sounds from fans, so it would be worth listening out for that sort of thing (I assume you'll be booting it up).

DG
 
Just to add:

Years ago, I bought a machine through Craigslist which I ended up selling. I tried out all the features and spent around an hour trying the machine out. The seller I went through wasn't offended and was happy to give me as much time as I needed to make a decision I was comfortable with. What I'm trying to say is: if the seller is pushy about the amount of time you spend checking out the machine, I'd be less likely to buy from him or her.
 
mBurns said:
Just to add:

Years ago, I bought a machine through Craigslist which I ended up selling. I tried out all the features and spent around an hour trying the machine out. The seller I went through wasn't offended and was happy to give me as much time as I needed to make a decision I was comfortable with. What I'm trying to say is: if the seller is pushy about the amount of time you spend checking out the machine, I'd be less likely to buy from him or her.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. If the seller is pushy or makes you hurry, then just walk away. An honest will give you lots of time to check the machine out completely.

I just spent two years living in Philly, and (in general) it pays to be a little bit cautious with deals that seem too-good-to-be-true.
 
After a brief investigation (I should have probably looked longer), I was getting the vibe that this was a legitimately good deal. We went to a wifi cafe and looked up the serial, I checked all the keys, he did a clean restore so i knew the disk drive worked, etc. I also realized it was the CD, not the C2D, which didn't bother me much. Then When I got home I realized I should have done some more investigation. I then checked all the parts out, all the keys, looked at the case more thoroughly, and I must say - its in mint condition. He gave me a sleeve and the external HD he advertised. Came in original box, with original disks and cables.. all great condition. I'm happy :eek:

He also said that he was using it as a desktop, not a laptop... so he wanted to sell it, get a cheaper desktop and use the difference in $$ for school. He wasn't pushy about time at all and looked kind of surprised at how fast I agreed to taking it.
 
I'm glad someone had some success with craigslist! I'm getting really fed up with buyers and sellers flaking out on me and all the scams there.
 
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