Resale Considerations - Which MBP?

[afuturestrader]

Of the 3 MBP's below which do you think would hold its resale value best and have lowest cost of ownership upon resell?

I am about ready to buy a MBP. If Intel holds its schedule I will resell and buy new in 1 to 2 years once a significant performance boost is available (quad core/Nehalem). So I am curious about resell values but have no experience in this area.

1. Late 2007 2.2 GHz SR, 2GB Ram, 120GB HD - $1449
2. Current version 2.4 GHz Peryn, 2GB Ram, 200GB HD - $1820 approx.
3. Late 2007 2.6 GHz SR, 2GB Ram, 160GB HD - $1849

I would max out the ram to 4GB. MY MBP would mostly be used as a desktop machine with an external monitor so the heat and battery benefits of Peryn are of secondary importance.

Would #1 be best because it is starting with the lowest price? Or will the Peryn hold better due to being newer technology? Or would the fastest performer (#3) be preferred on the resale market?

Thanks

 

[EvryDayImShufln]

I'm pretty sure it's not #3. I think it depends how far you look. If there was 1 more new revision at your time of purchase (after penryn), #2 would hold its value the best. If there were more than 1 new revision at your time of purchase, I think #1 would lose proportionally less value than #2 (saving you the most money overall).

 

[afuturestrader]

I'm pretty sure it's not #3. I think it depends how far you look. If there was 1 more new revision at your time of purchase (after penryn), #2 would hold its value the best. If there were more than 1 new revision at your time of purchase, I think #1 would lose proportionally less value than #2 (saving you the most money overall).

That's an interesting perspective. Why would the number of revisions matter? More revisions mutes the new tech advantage of Peryn vs. SR?

 

[kuebby]

I think #1. SRs are just SO cheap now that I simply cannot imagine them dropping that much, considering they are MBPs and how long Apple computers hold their value. I mean, look at it, it's $400 cheaper than your other 2 options. Brand new things drop in value faster. So if it was me, I'd go for #1.

 

[Mr. Funsocks]

kuebby isn't thinking about the long run. When the new mbps come out the 2.4 Penryns will be just as cheap as the current SR's. Go with the Penryn. That's what I did.

 

[afuturestrader]

kuebby isn't thinking about the long run. When the new mbps come out the 2.4 Penryns will be just as cheap as the current SR's. Go with the Penryn. That's what I did.

Would this not back up kuebby? At the next revision the Penryns will take the depreciation hit. Whereas I would be buying the SR at the already fallen price.

Or maybe I misunderstand your point?

 

[Joko]

I'd say #3. I know I would prefer more processor power and L2 Cache above more VRAM and multitouch, anyday.

 

[fredrickyoon]

Since Apple products hold their resale value, I've had Apple computers for years now, and just last year, sold my MB Pro 15 inch 2.16 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo (not Santa Rosa) for quite a bit and purchased a newer Santa Rosa process (17 inch, 2.6 GHz processor in Jan 08).

 

[Mr. Funsocks]

Would this not back up kuebby? At the next revision the Penryns will take the depreciation hit. Whereas I would be buying the SR at the already fallen price.

Or maybe I misunderstand your point?

What and the SR's would magically stay the same price when the Penryns went down? Get real man. The SRs would fall as well.

 

[kuebby]

What and the SR's would magically stay the same price when the Penryns went down? Get real man. The SRs would fall as well.

But certainly not another $300. Look at what the earlier MBPs still sell for refurbished. For some reason when the new ones came out the SRs dropped a lot in price. I say, take advantage of that, I just doubt we'll see that big of a drop again.

 

[afuturestrader]

What and the SR's would magically stay the same price when the Penryns went down? Get real man. The SRs would fall as well.

I believe you are correct that the SR's will depreciate at the next revision - just not to the same degree as the Penryns.

Reading and thinking about this issue it seems to me that two events trigger depreciation on the largest scale. 1. When you open the box of a new computer and 2. The first revision after your purchase.

With a refurbished SR both events have already happened.

 

[dnenciu]

I tend to agree with the above posts go with the cheaper refurbished model if you don't care about heat they are the best deal as the new one is not that much faster.

I might not be the best example as I just replaced my 17 c2d 2.33 with a new 17 penryn High Res. But I've been waiting for the led 17" since the 15 came out and couldn't resist

 

[DaveF]

It's probably fair to say they will all follow the same depreciation curve (assuming they all sold for the same price when new).

Assuming Macs depreciate like cars, you want to buy a mid-range model that's a year or so old. Then sell it a year or two later. That way you're buying in the "sweet" range of its depreciation: it's already taken the initial price hit (right when the box is opened) and is sold while it's still fairly current and is losing value relatively slowly (and before it becomes obsolete and plummets in value at the end of its life).

With that in mind, get the Late 2007 MBP for $1449.