Should I sell my macbook pro (unibody 15" late 2008)?

[sppl]

I got a macbook pro 15" (late 2008 model) in 2009. Over the past few months, I have had problems with it. It freezes often and I have to restart it. I took it to the Apple Store. They wiped it clean and reinstalled the OS, but I still have the same freezing problem. So, it appears to be a hardware issue. Took it to the apple store for more analysis. I was told that it needs to be sent to depot for repair and would cost me a flat rate of $310. The battery needs to be replaced as well, which is extra. Also the optical drive is not reliable (fails to read/write DVDs sometimes), although I don't use it often. I am now wondering whether to invest in repair ($400+) or sell my macbook as is and get a new one? Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[LaNina]

I just sold my uni-body 2008 15" model about 2 weeks ago for $800 (Almost flawless condition/no problems). This was in cash from a person in a town neighboring mine. I checked the eBay route, but found them going from anywhere from $500 to $800. Couldn't take the risk.

I sold mine in preparation of buying the new MBP. I sold early because once there are any solid rumors, A LOT of people will be looking to sell this model to upgrade. This will drive the price down $100-200.

You could probably sell it as is and get a couple hundred dollars. ($400 - $600 don't quote me). I do not see it being profitable for you to repair it and then sell it. If your going to give it up, I say sell it as is.

 

[sppl]

Got my MacBook pro fixed

@LaNina,
Thanks for your response!
Because my MacBook was almost unusable because of freezing, I decided to get this fixed. Apple folks replaced my logic board and battery for $310. I might consider selling it now.

 

[l.a.rossmann]

Sell that lemon as soon as you can. It's not a Unibody. The display assembly's back cover is actually two pieces that are very shoddily & cheaply glued together on the 2008 and 2009 Unibody 15.4" models. Once they come apart you need a new one and those parts are fairly expensive. I would not buy a 15.4" Unibody made before 2010 for this reason. There is a remarkable difference in the quality of the back cover of the display assembly on the 2008/2009 to 2010/2011 machines. It's not a question of whether it will fall apart on you, it's a question of when!

 

[Astroboy907]

Sell that lemon as soon as you can. It's not a Unibody. The display assembly's back cover is actually two pieces that are very shoddily & cheaply glued together on the 2008 and 2009 Unibody 15.4" models. Once they come apart you need a new one and those parts are fairly expensive. I would not buy a 15.4" Unibody made before 2010 for this reason. There is a remarkable difference in the quality of the back cover of the display assembly on the 2008/2009 to 2010/2011 machines. It's not a question of whether it will fall apart on you, it's a question of when!

I bought a new display assembly + LCD for this model for $80

 

[l.a.rossmann]

I bought a new display assembly + LCD for this model for $80

If you show me where it is possible to buy that for $80 I will buy 100 of them and give you $500 for showing me.

 

[sppl]

@l.a.rossman

Thanks for the info! I did a little more google search and found the display assembly issues with the early unibody macbooks. Found a post discussing this problem,
https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1261248/
Also it seems expensive to get this problem fixed.

I will put my macbook pro for sale now!

 

[Yixian]

I have the same model but it's trackpad is broken, the q and w keys don't work, the battery lasts about 5 seconds and it's got some wear and tear...

So I'm basically planning on selling for parts when the new MBPs are released. Can anyone recommend a price in GBP for such a thing?

 

[iLog.Genius]

Not that the Late-2008 isn't reliable, but given the current problems, I'd sell it and get it a newer MacBook Pro. But these problems aren't anything serious. These problems you're experiencing are somewhat common problems and could likely be found in any generation MacBook Pro. Battery is going to die out eventually so that's something you can't work prevent. Failing SuperDrive (approx. $40) and potentially a failing HDD (approx. $100, depending on size) are cheap repairs.

So if you have the money to get a new MacBook Pro, I'd sell it off for as much as you can if not, replacing the faulty parts aren't that expensive and the Late-2008 MacBook Pro is still a good machine for anything other than gaming.

If you show me where it is possible to buy that for $80 I will buy 100 of them and give you $500 for showing me.

There are very few on eBay selling for around from $80-$100 so it is possible if you can find it. It comes down to if you trust those components from eBay but that's another discussion.

 

[Astroboy907]

If you show me where it is possible to buy that for $80 I will buy 100 of them and give you $500 for showing me.

@rossman... Sorry, it was a guy on ebay selling it for parts (there is one right now I asssume for a 15 inch)

Unfortunately they are not a seller... it was only 1 of them. I did see you on ebay though! Your threads are very helpful too.

 

[bLiss]

I have the same model and I plan to sell it soon as well.

Right up at the end of my warranty last year, Apple replaced the battery after the cells started to grow (it was dying). Then, they couldn't diagnose the problem of my screen flickering in store but kept it overnight and deemed it worthy of a free logic board replacement (part was worth $1000) - thank goodness. Now the computer is much better.... but yeah, it's about time.

I agree with LaNina. Sell it before more information comes out about the new MBA/MBP or whatever crops up this summer.