financing versus another credit card? [ + one more q. ]

[tinycities]

so my laptop's motherboard just fried. it was a 4 year old first generation aluminum powerbook. its apaprently not worth repairing as the repair is more than the computer is worth.

i just bought an imac. although i bought this for school and i have it in my studio and im not moving it back home. i have a residency requirement at school so my computer stays here. i also just wanted to use it for school as i dont want to download etc anything on it as i want it to last as long as it can since it was $$$ and my school work alone will be rough on it [ i'm a graphic designer. ]

i was looking into getting a used/refurbished low end macbook because its really weird not having a personal computer/home computer. i have money and a parttime job but i also dont want to just use all my money in one spot buying the computer at once..

have any of you done this and was it a bad / good idea? id try to pay it off as soon as possible so i'd probably pay off like 200 bucks a month.


or can you guys recommend a credit card company that wouldn't charge me interest for the first couple months? im trying to build up my credit anyways and i dont mind paying it to that.. paying off the computer is 5-6 months time and then paying off credit bills immediately.. my brother says to get an amex.

also do you think it'd be a stupid idea to try and sell my dead laptop as parts?

 

[notjustjay]

Wow, you and I are almost in the same situation. My PowerBook G4 died, and I bought an iMac because I need to keep computing.

It's never a stupid idea to sell off old broken stuff if you can. If you can get money by parting out the laptop, then by all means do so! Start by posting on the forums here, eBay, or a local craigslist or newsgroup. I saw a recent posting for a 12" PB with no HD, and people were offering $500. You'd probably get less, but anything's better than a paperweight.

You can get credit cards with introductory APRs (like 4.99% etc). Personally I would recommend trying to wait it out as long as possible while saving up. "It's really weird not having a computer" is not the most compelling excuse. If you really, really needed something at home, you could buy a junker Windows PC (gasp!) or get one for free -- I have coworkers trying to give these things away, and I actually have a few old Windows PCs to give away too.

I say that because once you've got the card and the computer in hand, I know it'll be difficult to discipline yourself into paying the $200 a month. Things happen, or you'll find yourself repeating the thought process over and over ("Oooh, an iPhone... I could just put it on the card, it's only another two months of payments..."). Your car will need repairs. You'll underestimate how much you had to spend on gifts at Christmas. Your company will screw up your payroll, etc. It's all happened to me. I found myself in credit card debt for 3 years because of this, and I had every intention of paying off that PowerBook within the 6 months interest-free offer that I signed up for.

So, if you can really discipline yourself, and really feel you need the MacBook at home, find a card with an introductory APR. Otherwise, just save up the cash and live without for a little bit longer. Besides, you're waiting a few months for those rumored new MacBook updates anyway, right?

 

[applefb00]

I also am in the same situation on deciding which credit company to use. Someone reffered me to the American Express Blue card which has no interest for 15 months, but someone else told me that whatever you spend in one month you have to pay in full that same month, which I think is stupid and im not sure if its true. if it isnt true, than i am definatly getting that card.