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If I Was To Buy A Used Macbook Pro

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Xiroteus

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Mar 31, 2012
1,297
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Thinking about it at least. I have been looking around for days and the prices are all over the place, what tends to be a fair price for a 13"3 2009 Macbook Pro in nice excellent condition with 4GB of ram 2.26Ghz?

Then I wonder if I should avoid picking up a computer that is nearing three years old and go with something newer, however a newer Mac would be out of my current budget. I am looking to have something to last for awhile so I imagine the newer I can get the better. There are so many laptops out there, ever bought one before, always a desktop person, with a hardly used SLOW netbook.

Another note I do not require it to do anything too fancy, not really a gamer on anything, I mostly you tube, chat, research, looking up information etc.. of course I could do that on a $400 PC as well. Regardless of that I am looking at Mac as an option.

Thanks
 
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If you're looking for a computer to last you a while and you're looking at a 3 year old machine then I think your expectations will not be met in the next couple of years. It is obvious that Apple has no problem turning their back on old tech, although they seem to really support it for a great while, so I would be weary of a 3-year old machine if I intended for it to last another 2-3. It will last the question is what kind of support will you have for it?

The machine you're looking at though is not bad. I wouldn't pay more than $700 for it though and that may even be off.
 
lookie here: everymac.com

For VERY general RETAIL price ranges of most any mac out there. Just bear in mind that they assume good to very good condition and standard specs when assigning price ranges. Also remember that retail sale prices & private sales tend to vary considerably.....

You can then add/subtract subjectives value for condition, ram, HDD size etc to see if a given mac's price seems fair to you :)
 
jessica. said:
If you're looking for a computer to last you a while and you're looking at a 3 year old machine then I think your expectations will not be met in the next couple of years. It is obvious that Apple has no problem turning their back on old tech, although they seem to really support it for a great while, so I would be weary of a 3-year old machine if I intended for it to last another 2-3. It will last the question is what kind of support will you have for it?

The machine you're looking at though is not bad. I wouldn't pay more than $700 for it though and that may even be off.
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2010 would not be AS bad, I normally stay away from used electronics depending what it is. Can be a bit risky and does appear that anything over two years old is very dated tech to Apple. I have not needed support for a computer is over a decade because I have a desktop, however if something major goes out on a laptop (I could still fix it, the cost may be high) So when tossing out a few hundred dollars it would be nice to have some type of support and maybe a bit longer life in it.

There is another system I saw 2009 Macbook Pro with the above along with 8GB of ram which may be more then is needed, that is what my desktop has.

Something I will need to think about, also thinking about it only being 1280x800, then again it is 13"3.

SmurfBoxMasta said:
lookie here: everymac.com

For VERY general RETAIL price ranges of most any mac out there. Just bear in mind that they assume good to very good condition and standard specs when assigning price ranges. Also remember that retail sale prices & private sales tend to vary considerably.....

You can then add/subtract subjectives value for condition, ram, HDD size etc to see if a given mac's price seems fair to you :)
Click to expand...

Bee reading a lot over the last few days, checking going rates, what comes with it etc... since my needs are nothing great I can get away with something that is not really new, now a brand new Mac from 2009-2010 would not be bad. I have sure ran into a few systems are are all scratched up or have dents. Nice nice.........oh, dents!
 
Macman45 said:
my 10c worth here? Buy a rfurb from Apple...Full support, full warranty and no risky sites.
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Even thought it may be a bit more then I was looking at, it most likely makes more since in the long run, newer model, better support, well support at all.

I just took a look, basically, newer model (i5 vs core 2 duo), support, possible that even being a refurb that it was not used, will take longer to become dated. I do not know much about Apples refrubs, guessing it would look nice and all this for about $300-$250 more, maybe less. Sounds like that would be the better way to go.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
This would be my recommendation as well. Apple refurbs offer very good value, as well as all of the advantages of a brand new computer in terms of spec, warranty, support and so on.
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I have to agree, going from $700+ to $1000 it worth it in this case, if it is out of my budget I will just wait and get a larger budget. One nice thing about these is that three years down the line they can still fetch a nice price so upgrading is not as costly.
 
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Just an aside on age of Apple electronics. Apple supports repair services for computers up to 5 years old at their stores. While, anecdotal, I have an original white MacBook that hit 6 years old this month and is still being used by my wife. I did upgrade the hard drive a while back and had to replace the battery once though.

I also have a late 2008 15" MBP that I bought as a refurb when the early 2009 models hit (got a $650 discount). Other than the box it came in (plain white cardboard), it was indistiguishable from new. You will find many more examples like mine (pristine condition refurb units) on this forum if you're willing to search.
 
Scepticalscribe said:
This would be my recommendation as well. Apple refurbs offer very good value, as well as all of the advantages of a brand new computer in terms of spec, warranty, support and so on.
Click to expand...

Not just that, but sometimes you're lucky in the "free upgrade lottery" ! I found that if you find one that is slightly different than the base option and order it, you have a better-than-not chance of getting other upgrades as well.

I ordered a refurb 15" early-2011 and opted for the faster processor, but not the upgraded memory, hard drive, or screen resolution. Well, I got all three of those for free, presumably because they were out of ones with "just" the processor upgrade.
 
I have the exact MacBook Pro you're talking about. FWIW, I think you should try to get one a little newer, if you can swing it. My 2009 has not been heavily used, but it still seems outdated and a little slow almost three years later. In fact, I'm considering replacing it with either a late-2011 or the new 2012 model. Either that or I'm going to add an SSD to it. On the other hand, the 2009 is still more than useful for the types of things you use it for (same as my use). So, bottom line, it all depends on what you can spend, but if you can afford to do it, buy newer! Good luck with your decision. Whatever machine you decide on, I'm sure you will love it.

P.S. This is my first MacRumors post. Been reading here for years. You'll find some great help here!
 
PBG4 Dude said:
Just an aside on age of Apple electronics. Apple supports repair services for computers up to 5 years old at their stores. While, anecdotal, I have an original white MacBook that hit 6 years old this month and is still being used by my wife. I did upgrade the hard drive a while back and had to replace the battery once though.

I also have a late 2008 15" MBP that I bought as a refurb when the early 2009 models hit (got a $650 discount). Other than the box it came in (plain white cardboard), it was indistiguishable from new. You will find many more examples like mine (pristine condition refurb units) on this forum if you're willing to search.
Click to expand...

I figured the refurbs would need to look nice, good business to do so. Overall these systems appear to hold up well.

brownpaw said:
Not just that, but sometimes you're lucky in the "free upgrade lottery" ! I found that if you find one that is slightly different than the base option and order it, you have a better-than-not chance of getting other upgrades as well.

I ordered a refurb 15" early-2011 and opted for the faster processor, but not the upgraded memory, hard drive, or screen resolution. Well, I got all three of those for free, presumably because they were out of ones with "just" the processor upgrade.
Click to expand...

Nice upgrade lottery there.

Teem45 said:
I have the exact MacBook Pro you're talking about. FWIW, I think you should try to get one a little newer, if you can swing it. My 2009 has not been heavily used, but it still seems outdated and a little slow almost three years later. In fact, I'm considering replacing it with either a late-2011 or the new 2012 model. Either that or I'm going to add an SSD to it. On the other hand, the 2009 is still more than useful for the types of things you use it for (same as my use). So, bottom line, it all depends on what you can spend, but if you can afford to do it, buy newer! Good luck with your decision. Whatever machine you decide on, I'm sure you will love it.

P.S. This is my first MacRumors post. Been reading here for years. You'll find some great help here!
Click to expand...

Quite helpful here.

If it happens soon waiting for the 2012 models could not hurt, however I will really need a system this month and who knows how long it could be. I am still thinking about what would be best, originally I wanted a laptop that had 1080p and blu-ray and I still might depending if I get a blu-ray player and continue to have my television.
 
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Xiroteus said:
If it happens soon waiting for the 2012 models could not hurt, however I will really need a system this month and who knows how long it could be. I am still thinking about what would be best, originally I wanted a laptop that had 1080p and blu-ray and I still might depending if I get a blu-ray player and continue to have my television.
Click to expand...

I'm in a similar quandary: I've been waiting for the upgrade, but a 2009 13" MBP C2D 2.26 just popped up on my local craig's list for $550. To answer your original question, I think that $550 is just right for the MBP you're considering.

Ultimately, I've decided to pass on the C2D MBP because: (a) this year's update should be a major tock instead as opposed to a tick, and (b) Apple's 0% financing over 6mos will help spread out the cost. Then again, our situations differ as I don't need an immediate upgrade and I'm flexible as to whether my next purchase is a 13" or 15" MBP.

In any event, I hope this helps. :)
 
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