Is my old MBP worth anything at all?

[mivara]

I've got a 15'' MBP from late-2008 that I used until about a year ago. I spilled some (not much though) on it but it didn't stop working – it just couldn't charge anymore (lol, same thing, right? = no usage). Well, now it's just collecting dust in my closet. I went to an Apple Store back then to ask what there could be done about it. They said that it would cost about 3.000 DKK ($460) just to diagnose. So no point in doing that. I got a new one.

Throwing stuff out and decluttering I stumbled upon the old thing and started thinking: Can I see it somewhere? Perhaps it's just the battery that's gone bad (positive thinking big time here).

 

[0007776]

List it on eBay being very sure to mention the damage and say that it is being sold for parts. It won't go for a lot but you might be able to get something out of it.

 

[c8rlo]

I've got a 15'' MBP from late-2008 that I used until about a year ago. I spilled some (not much though) on it but it didn't stop working – it just couldn't charge anymore (lol, same thing, right? = no usage). Well, now it's just collecting dust in my closet. I went to an Apple Store back then to ask what there could be done about it. They said that it would cost about 3.000 DKK ($460) just to diagnose. So no point in doing that. I got a new one.

Throwing stuff out and decluttering I stumbled upon the old thing and started thinking: Can I see it somewhere? Perhaps it's just the battery that's gone bad (positive thinking big time here).

have you removed battery and plugged it in the wall with just the power cord to see if it still boots up? if it still boots, then it could be just as simple as replacing just the battery.

and like what mrkramer suggested, be detailed with the known problems should you decide to sell it. post pics of the "About This Mac" showing proof that it still powers up which may help with the sell. your profile says you're in Denmark, here in the US on eBay they are going for about $100-$175 for a functional MBP. $100 for an AS-IS/parts unit, just to give you an idea of their worth...

 

[bobbytomorow]

Liquid damage repair is much easier than people think. I have resurrected a few MacBooks and various Windows based notebooks from seemingly dead states due to liquid damage. You have nothing to lose, and it will only cost you a couple of bucks...then you would get substantially more. I posted about the procedure here, https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/late-2013-water-damage.1900989/#post-21600923 . In your case if it wasn't much you may not even have to completely tear it down, just focus around the power circuitry, look for white chalky substance and use a q-tip and alcohol to clean it off. Might take you less than 20 minutes.

Otherwise even in a dead state you should be able to get $150-ish USD, maybe take your HDD out first.