Sticky Situation (Dented top case)

[joenobodyyet]

So... long story but I wanted to surprise my best friend with a MacBook Pro. She has been complaining that her computer sucks (a Dell from 2004!) and she has literally designed everything for my band... so giving her a MacBook Pro for her birthday would not only compensate for all of the FREE work she has done for us, it would help her with future design projects, and would also be a huge relief off of her shoulders. Basically, she would cry.

SO, I found a MacBook Pro! My friend was selling his. Here are the details that he sent me:

It's a 15.4 inch macbook pro 6.2 intel core i5
Processor speed = 2.4 ghz.
Memory = 4gb
Hardrive = 260 GB of space

I asked if I could borrow it and check it out, and it was in great shape. So I returned it and told him that I would make him an offer, and in the mean time he could transfer files/clean the computer before selling it to me.

I priced them, and he wanted to help me out knowing that I am a poor musician, so he was going to sell it to me for $625!!! I went to pick it up... THE COMPUTER NOW HAS A DENT TO THE RIGHT OF THE KEYBOARD, ON THE SPEAKER ON THE TOP CASE. Somehow he dropped something on it in the week he has the computer to remove/clean files.

She would be more than happy to have a used MacBook Pro, and she probably wouldn't mind the dent, but I feel terrible sticking her with computer that has a dent.

So now I'm frantically looking for another MacBook Pro that would suffice, that DOESN'T have a dent.

I was just wondering if anyone has any advice? Should I repair the top case? I looked at some videos and it seems sorta difficult and top cases are expensive. Anyone know how to repair one for cheap? Anyone know where I can find a good deal on a used MacBook Pro that isn't dented ha? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

ps... sorry for the long sob story haha

 

[duervo]

Looks like something hard and heavy was dropped onto it. I would stay away from it.

Look at the prices of the refurb units. If she is currently using a system from 2004, one of the entry level units out in the last year would probably be fine. They'd cost more than $625, though. So, with that in mind, this is what I would do ...

Get her an Apple gift card for $625. She can then put some of her own cash towards it and get a refurbished unit.

 

[TC400]

I agree with the above comment. I'd get her a gift card and go refurbished. That way if something happens it's covered. That way she can get something NEW and POWERFUL!

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[Toby Ziegler]

I agree with the above comment. I'd get her a gift card and go refurbished. That way if something happens it's covered. That way she can get something NEW and POWERFUL!

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Looks like something hard and heavy was dropped onto it. I would stay away from it.

Look at the prices of the refurb units. If she is currently using a system from 2004, one of the entry level units out in the last year would probably be fine. They'd cost more than $625, though. So, with that in mind, this is what I would do ...

Get her an Apple gift card for $625. She can then put some of her own cash towards it and get a refurbished unit.

Agreed, a dent of that size could have hurt more than just the case. There's a "for sale" section on MacRumors, but it's not visible until you hit a certain post count.

You were obviously willing to spend at least $625 to get this friend a decent computer for her hard work, so like others said, an Apple Store gift card in that amount would definitely go a long ways towards offsetting the cost of a new MBP.

Personally, my suggestion would be to see if the other band members would be willing to contribute on top of your $625 and all go together for a 13 inch MBP. They're going for just over $1,000 on the refurb store right now: http://store.apple.com/us/product/FD101LL/A/refurbished-macbook-pro-25ghz-dual-core-intel-i5

Either way, it's an awesome gesture to your friend. Good luck and let us know how it turns out!

 

[Orlandoech]

Are you IN LOVE with this female friends? jk.

Gift card is the best bet imo.

 

[Spink10]

Stay away! Gift card or search CL/eBay.

 

[dastinger]

The gift card is a good idea but it's not the same as surprising her with a wrapped MBP. Try searching for another one.. when's her bday?