Good Buy? Second Hand 17" Macbook Pro 17" 2.16 Ghz €1200/$1700

[prendio2]

I'm considering buying the following Macbook Pro from a trustworthy acquaintance:

Condition: used

- 17" screen (1680 x 1050)
- Radeon X1600 256mb graphics
- 2.16ghz Intel Core Duo
- 2gb (2x 1024mb) ram
- 120gb 7200rpm hard disk
- 8x superdrive
- 2nd battery
- legitimate copy of Leopard
- XP SP3 via Bootcamp
- soft sleeve
- Warranty until end July '09

MINT condition, viewing welcome.​

The cost is 1200 EUR which is approximately 1700 USD.

If I buy it, it will be a temporary stopgap laptop between now and March 2009 when I will hope to sell it and buy a Macbook Air to travel with (I will be on the road for a long time so making performance sacrifices for portability).

I would be in New York when I am trying to sell it in March.

Do you think this is a good or bad investment? Would anyone venture to guess how much I could sell it for in New York in March 2009?

The alternative will be continuing without a laptop until Decmber, and investing in a Macbook Air then.

Any advice would be much appreciated,
Sincerely,
Oisin Prendiville

 

[soberbrain]

I would just wait to get an Air when you can.

Not sure where you are from, but how about a refurb Air? The Apple US store has one for $1499.

Refurbished MacBook Air 1.6GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
13.3-inch glossy widescreen display
2GB memory
80GB 4200-rpm PATA hard drive
Built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
Built-in iSight Camera

 

[prendio2]

I would just wait to get an Air when you can.

Not sure where you are from, but how about a refurb Air?

Thanks for the suggestion.

I'm in no rush for an Air and would happily wait until Demember to get one (if a new version with bigger harddrive comes out before then all the better).

I'm in Dublin at the moment, and don't really need a laptop here.

I will get one to use in New York from January to March, and travelling from April onwards. So buying the second hand Pro would be just to have a bigger screen and more powerful machine to work on during my time in New York.

 

[logana]

Seems very expensive for a Core Duo machine.

mac2sell.net gives a price of $1090 which is probably the most you could expect to get for the MBP since you will be selling it in the States - 6 months down the line it might be worth $900.

You are going to lose around $8/900 on the MBP.

 

[SvladCjelli]

I'm considering buying the following Macbook Pro from a trustworthy acquaintance:

Condition: used

- 17" screen (1680 x 1050)
- Radeon X1600 256mb graphics
- 2.16ghz Intel Core Duo
- 2gb (2x 1024mb) ram
- 120gb 7200rpm hard disk
- 8x superdrive
- 2nd battery
- legitimate copy of Leopard
- XP SP3 via Bootcamp
- soft sleeve
- Warranty until end July '09

MINT condition, viewing welcome.​

The cost is 1200 EUR which is approximately 1700 USD.

If I buy it, it will be a temporary stopgap laptop between now and March 2009 when I will hope to sell it and buy a Macbook Air to travel with (I will be on the road for a long time so making performance sacrifices for portability).

I would be in New York when I am trying to sell it in March.

Do you think this is a good or bad investment? Would anyone venture to guess how much I could sell it for in New York in March 2009?

The alternative will be continuing without a laptop until Decmber, and investing in a Macbook Air then.

Any advice would be much appreciated,
Sincerely,
Oisin Prendiville

Do we octane.... (sorry others for the cryptic response)

I thought that was a good price, just look at what's similar on eBay

A

 

[logana]

Do we octane.... (sorry others for the cryptic response)

I thought that was a good price, just look at what's similar on eBay

A

The price (for Europe) is ok but the problem is the OP is wanting to know a selling price in the USA next Spring - the current mac2sell price for the machine is just over $1000 so it is going to be worth less in 6 months time and that is assuming it has a US keyboard. If it is a Euro/UK keyboard then it will be worth even less (take at least $200 off the price).

The OP would be as well buying a year-old Core 2 MacBook now (€650/$1000) and then throwing it in a bin when he gets to New York - that way he will have lost $1000 - and get a quicker machine. If he buys the MBP for $1700 it might be worth $700 (UK/Euro keyboard) in April - which is also a $1000 loss.

 

[prendio2]

Seems very expensive for a Core Duo machine.

mac2sell.net gives a price of $1090 which is probably the most you could expect to get for the MBP since you will be selling it in the States - 6 months down the line it might be worth $900.

You are going to lose around $8/900 on the MBP.

Thanks for pointing me to the mac2sell website.. that's a very helpful resource.

Do we octane.... (sorry others for the cryptic response)

I thought that was a good price, just look at what's similar on eBay

A

BuyNow prices on ebay are around $1600 USD for the same model right now, which is close enough to the price I'd be paying here but a lot higher than the mac2sell valuation so perhaps I'd be hard pushed to get that price if selling in March (especially if new model is released in the mean time).

It may be sensible to just wait and get the Air in December, save the hassle of trying to sell the Pro a few months later and I'm sure I'll get used to the small screen etc. quick enough.

Not fully decided yet.

Thanks everyone for your help.

 

[prendio2]

If it is a Euro/UK keyboard then it will be worth even less (take at least $200 off the price).

The OP would be as well buying a year-old Core 2 MacBook now (€650/$1000) and then throwing it in a bin when he gets to New York

Good points. Hadn't considered the keyboard issue at all.

Never been called "The OP" before - I like it, could definitely get used to that!

 

[artscreen]

dont know if they sell to Europe but theres this:

http://www.macconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=7586219