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Second hand MacBook Pro - is it a good deal??

L

Luara

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 13, 2008
4
0
Hey peoples,

I've found a 15" pro for sale by a local guy who wants $1750 AUD.
He bought it last September for about $1000 more so it's still under warranty.
It comes as new with the box, receipt, bluetooth mouse, original install disks etc.
This will be my first mac so i'm a bit dodgy when it come to knowing what to look for, but so far I've checked:
Battery life, speakers/mic/camera, DVD/CD player, usb ports, ran a few applications etc. and all seems great.
But not being a Mac person, price wise I'm not sure how good this deal is. I plan to use it mainly for garage band and photoshop.
Do I need this much computer?
Having said that, I've just finnished school and not entirely sure which direction to go in or what my future computer needs will be. Is the pro a good decision if i'm uncertain? Or would it be better to save a whole lot of money and go for a second hand Macbook and buy later when I have figured out exactly what i want in a computer?

Any advice would be great, thanks :)
 
No, it's not a good deal because you can get a "6 month old model", brand new from apple.com/store/clearance for $1699. It will have 1 yr of warranty. I don't think it's too much computer, especially if it's your primary machine.
 
iknowyourider said:
No, it's not a good deal because you can get a "6 month old model", brand new from apple.com/store/clearance for $1699. It will have 1 yr of warranty. I don't think it's too much computer, especially if it's your primary machine.
Click to expand...

that deal isn't in US $. i didn't do the currency conversion, but the OP should look at their country's refurb store just to get a price range
 
I think $1699 USD is 1,809.35 AUD. So, technically I would go with the refurb from the Apple Store AU if that is indeed the price due to the fact that you get a warranty.
 
iknowyourider said:
No, it's not a good deal because you can get a "6 month old model", brand new from apple.com/store/clearance for $1699. It will have 1 yr of warranty. I don't think it's too much computer, especially if it's your primary machine.
Click to expand...

Thanks,
For $100 more (I'm using all australian dollars here), I found the same computer refurbished.
What are the risks of buying redurbished macs? I'm guessing it would be less risky than buying through private sale??
Also, it only has 512MB memory, the private sale mac had 2 gig.
There is a refurbished Macbook with 2 gig mem, 2.2 ghz intel core 2 duo for $1300. I'ts 13", thats not nice, but it sounds like the better deal to me... what do you think???
 
Luara said:
...

What are the risks of buying redurbished macs? I'm guessing it would be less risky than buying through private sale??
...
Click to expand...

Apple refurbs have a strong reputation here on the forums and in general. I have two refurb products (AEBS and an MBP), and am completely satisfied with both products. They typically are subject to more rigorous QA practises than a unit fresh off the line, and cheaper too.

Apple refurbs come come with the same 1-year warranty that Apple offers on brand new computers. And you can purchase AppleCare for it.

If the refurb is only $100 more expensive than the private sale, I would choose the refurb everytime.
 
I need help too

Hi guys,

A few questions :

1. I am looking to buy a second hand macbook pro as well. The only thing is im in Pakistan and there arent many options here. Im getting a 2.5 year old macbook, 1.8Ghz, 1Gb ram, 80Gb harddrive. The price im getting is aprox 1200 dollars.
The macbook has been used as a demo piece at the store. The keys are a bit worn out but he has promised to replace them for me. the exterior is in good shape. Do you think its a good deal?

2. The price is aprox the same as a brand new mac book (not pro) 2.4Ghz , 80Gb hard drive and 1Gb ram. Which one should i go for?

3. Also since im in pakistan there arent many software for MAC operating systems, if i was to run windows on it, how would the performance be? both for the used macbook pro and for the new macbook??
 
Hey all,
I bought the second hand pro and love it!
hip hip hooray yay for macs.
good luck to all fellow macians, may all your apples be shiny.
:)
 
Congratulations, hope it all goes well.

I second dibara2003's recommendation to purchase AppleCare for peace of mind. It will give you an extra 2 years of warranty (after the end of the first year making 3 total) just incase something goes wrong. If you decide too, you must do so and register it before your 1 year warranty expires for it to become effective.

Have fun, they are really nice computers :D
 
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