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Suggestions on a new iMac?

P

Pugpuppydude

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jul 31, 2008
134
0
Utah
Hello,
I am 19 years old and am a sophmore in college. I am torn between the decision of saving my money, or buying a $1550 24" iMac. If I do purchase this computer i will be going through bestbuy's financing, in attempt to build my credit. I currently have a 5 year old Dell inspiron 9300 laptop, running with a 1.6 Intel Centrino (single core processor) and 2gb upgraded ram. My computer can run cs4 almost flawlessly, except premiere/after effects, but it gets done everything i need. I lust after the iMac and want it so bad, but I don't know if i am being too greedy. :( I have the money for it, i just need advice on if i should purchase this or not, from an onlookers perspective. Thanks!

Sorry.. kinda sloppy.
 
Sorry

OK, this comes from personal experience (and will obviously vary from person to person). Financing and college do NOT go together unless you are financing your eduaction. I know I may sound like a parent (I'm not one), but save, save, save. Or at least compromise with yourself and save for half the cost. It seems like you do not need to replace anything now, so that may be one option.

It's your money and therefor your decision, but man, I'm just saying, financing anything other than necessities doesn't always work out. And yes, I'm a hypocrite for my comments because back in the day I didn't take my own advice.
 
You said yourself that your current machine "...gets done everything I need". Don't ever finance things you don't need. Especially not $1500 electronics when you are in college. Always pay for toys with cash, namely cash from your checking account. It's a good habit to get into. There will be times to build your credit that aren't a waste of money. You say "I have the money for it", so why are you financing it? If you meant "I have the money for the down payment/monthly payment", that does not count as "having money for it". It's that sort of thinking that was a big contributor to our current economic mess. If you can pay cash without hurting your own education, sure, buy whatever you like. If you can't afford to do that, then you cannot "afford it", so don't buy it if you don't need it.
 
J the Ninja said:
You say "I have the money for it", so why are you financing it? If you meant "I have the money for the down payment/monthly payment", that does not count as "having money for it".
Click to expand...

I have all the cash for it now. I am also on a scholarship and living at home, but i thought financing would help my credit. Maybe not. I think i definitely need to more money knowledge.
 
If I were you, I'd look at a Mini or a used iMac. I actually just bought a used 17" Core 2 Duo (white) iMac for only $499 w/2GB RAM and a superdrive. Yeah, I wanted the new 24" but finances do not permit that right now and I wanted an upgrade from my old Mini (the iMac is a Core 2, has the superdrive, the x1600 video card, and supports more memory, so its definitely an upgrade). You don't have to get a 17" either - I saw a 20" with the same specs going for either $599 or $649. Even 20" aluminum iMacs are getting in the sub-$800 range. The $499 17" fit my budget perfectly, though, so that's where I went. Good luck with the hunt!

Oh, and one more thing :))), I DO advise getting a Mac - you'll have far less worries and be able to get your classwork done without the hassles of viruses and spyware (unless of course you are tech-saavy). Just set a (low) budget, and stick to it.
 
To repeat what others have said: do not finance it! You'll end up paying more for no good reason. Get a credit card (they have cards for pretty well any school, and these have easier application requirements), and put all your purchases on it. I have two CCs, and everything I buy goes on them, but they get paid off every month. This way you build credit without actually taking on debt - just treat the card like a debit card, and don't put anything on it you don't have cash in the bank to pay for it.

As for the computer: the 24" iMac is stunning, isn't it? I'm contemplating buying a previous-gen refurb at the moment, although there's nothing wrong with my MacBook. Have you considered the 20", though? It's a very, very nice machine as well. Or wait a bit longer and buy a 24" from the refurb store - saving money is always nice, especially while in college.
 
First, like others have said, don't finance it. Second, buy through the apple store instead of best buy to claim your significant student discount
 
You can get last years 20" aluminum imac w/ 2.4 ghz and 250 hdd for $999 at the apple clearance page ( new in box ). If you have a CC use it to get sky miles and pay it off next week.
 
If you have the money, and you're financing it with the no interest for 12 month credit card like i think you are, then I say go for it. You'll be building your credit interest-free, recieving a wonderful machine, and you'll be achieving a new level of responsibility making payments.

Though to be perfectly honest, I would recommend getting the juniper visa card, because you also get the 12 month no interest deal, will be able to use your education discount at the apple store, and you earn points towards itunes gift cards. What in life could be better? :)

You can find info on the juniper visa card here : http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APP....woa/wa/RSLID?sf=wHF2F2PHCCCX72KDY&nnmm=ucred
 
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