MBP Dilemma

[Willie5566]

I have a 2008 MBP 17in. The screen is starting to go on it and I can pay $310 to get it fixed from Apple. My concern is this will not be the only thing to go wrong and I will continue to have problems. It is after all a 4 year old computer. I am thinking of getting the screen fixed and then selling it to fund a new Mac. I looked at Eba and there does not appear to be much of a market for MBP, especially one that is 4 years old.

What would you do in my situation? Should I just keep my MBP? Is there a somewhere I can sell or get a credit towards a new computer? Is it worth getting fixed?

 

[baypharm]

I think it is worth getting fixed because it is a lot less than a new machine purely from an economics point of view. However, if you have spare cash available to purchase a new one, then that's an option. Macs are like the Energizer bunny...they just keep working. Sure sometimes you have to do maintenance but they still work.

$310 for a new screen is a good deal. You will be spending a couple grand plus for a new MBP. Only you can decide if you can comfortably afford a new machine.

I would not place a great deal of faith in Ebay. They are not the defacto standard they used to be 17 years ago. Craigslist, Amazon, and other independent classified ad sites have popped up and drained a lot of business from them. So because you don't see many MBP on Ebay doesn't mean a whole lot to me. There are fewer people on Ebay to be begin with. Most of them are not happy with the fees, PayPal fees, and other fees, so they sell their machine somewhere else.

 

[davidg4781]

What is wrong with the screen and was this amount given from an Apple Store?

I was having issues with my 2006 MB. I diagnosed it as a inverter cable/board issue. I called up Apple and I think they quoted me $50 parts and labor to fix it, which was about half as much if I would have bought the parts and done it myself.

 

[miniConvert]

If you're ready for a new computer then try and sell the MBP in its current condition, being entirely up-front about the fault. You may find that someone prepared to fix it themselves will give you a better price than you'd get after shelling out the $s on getting it fixed.

 

[Willie5566]

I definitely do not have the cash another MBP right now. I would probably go with a MBA. It would still give me more Ram, memory etc. than my current MBP.

What is wrong with the screen and was this amount given from an Apple Store?

I was having issues with my 2006 MB. I diagnosed it as a inverter cable/board issue. I called up Apple and I think they quoted me $50 parts and labor to fix it, which was about half as much if I would have bought the parts and done it myself.

Yes the Apple store quoted me the price. They ran some diagnostics tests and ruled out things like the board, graphics card, etc.

Thanks for the input. Tough decision for me.

 

[maflynn]

What would you do in my situation? Should I just keep my MBP? Is there a somewhere I can sell or get a credit towards a new computer? Is it worth getting fixed?

Sell the laptop on ebay as parts and buy an MBA, or a refurb MBP. Not sure what your budget is, but if you cannot swing a new MBP then perhaps once apple releases the new MBPs you could buy the current model for less. Or you could look on craigslist for a used MBP.

If you like the MBA and it has everything you need, then go for that, unless you need the ports or optical drive.