URGENT!! How much is this dented Air 11" worth? Please advice!!

[jmazzamj]

Hi everyone.

First of all thanks for reading, I hope this is the correct section, otherwise I apologize and please move to the section this belongs to.

The title says it all, please give a look at the attached images and post how much would you pay for it.

This is off an ebay auction and he's asking € 700 for it, but I'm not goig to pay that much, no way! Retail price in Europe is € 1149.

He has already agreed to meet in a bar or any crowded place.

Thank you

 

[notjustjay]

My only concern with damage like that is that if it sustained a drop or impact strong enough to cause that kind of damage to the case, what else might be damaged? There are no moving parts in an Air so this may not be as big a deal, but in a "regular" laptop I would be looking carefully at whether there was any risk that the optical drive or hard drive were damaged.

 

[hfg]

A dent like that may also void the 1 year warranty if something internal fails. Seems like there have been several discussions here about warranty work being denied by Apple Genius inspections due to external damage which may not have occurred at the same time.

 

[hamean]

A dent like that may also void the 1 year warranty if something internal fails. Seems like there have been several discussions here about warranty work being denied by Apple Genius inspections due to external damage which may not have occurred at the same time.

agreed ^^^

That's not a bad price though, and it's really not a huge ding. Does he have a return policy? I wouldn't buy it unless you can return it if it isn't right.

 

[Tailpike1153]

I would pay € 500-575, If i were really looking to get an MBA. Warranty is probably gone, so any repairs will wither be DIY or non-Apple repair shop.

 

[jmazzamj]

Thank you all for your advices.
Please tell me how much would you pay for it as well.

I'll be looking very carefully at it and also testing thoroughly...

Do you think that the Apple hardware test found on the usb would be fine to test the machine?

Thank you again.

 

[rkheyfets]

Reboot the machine holding D http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1509
also keep in mind there is a reason why this person is selling a relatively new machine that may be a red flag.
And i am not sure as to the retail price in the UK, since i am in the US but i would not pay more than 60-65% of retail.
However all that said the dent is not that bad.

 

[Hands Sandon]

It might well be a good way to get it cheap, but try it out somewhere quiet too. My biggest concern would be the fan. It's not easy to get the fan going without playing a 3D game. See if he can download say pinball from the app store and see if the fan sounds normal.

edit- just played Pinball HD for 10 minutes and couldn't hear any fan noise at all on my 13" base, so you definitely won't hear anything on the 11". COD4 gets the fans going. Even on the 13" base that's the only time I've ever been able to hear the fan at all. Maybe 1080p will get them going but I haven't needed that yet.

 

[matelot]

ask him why he's selling it

 

[chenry]

I dunno, I think its a little steep. I've just sold my 2G/128G, mint with a Zagg shield and Crumpler case for £750/€875. I bought it for £900/€1049 about 3 months ago.

 

[kx22]

Why would you buy an dented Macbook Air?
Even if its cheap you will be sorry for buying one.
Apple is a cosmetic beautiful product. Now its not anymore. If you dont care about the visuals, then you can buy any other netbook (ok its not that fast, but it wont cost you 600-700 euro!) and its new with guarentee!

 

[jmazzamj]

Once again, thank you all for your advices.

Luckily I'm quite familiar with Apple computers, and if it's not whisper quiet, then something is wrong with it. Hope it isn't.

He says he is selling it because he also has a 2010 15" which is true: He showed me the invoice and both laptops were bought together.

Are you guys sure Apple will not provide any warranty repair for that apparently cosmetic damage, aren't you?

I generally use my electronics as if they were babies (no kidding) and my Macs are in MINT condition, you could not tell the difference between mine and a new one.

I'm going to buy this one just to use it like anyone would...if I bought this new (I could get it for € 949 sealed) I know I wouldn't...I know this sounds crazy, but I just care too much about my electronics, can't help it.

Thank you again

 

[OSMac]

Why bother?

Get a refurb from Apple instead.

 

[Mr. Savage]

Obviously a risky purchase, but you seem willing to take the chance.

I'd give it a thorough workout in the seller's presence before buying it. Indeed, aluminum is not a very tough material and is easily dented so it's entirely possible that the machine has no other damage than what you see. However, as others have noted this definitely gives Apple an "out" when it comes to future warranty repairs.

First, and most obviously check the hinges for smooth operation throughout their entire range of motion.

Next, make sure the fan works as it is located right on the corner where the MBA impacted and is likely a fairly delicate little mechanism.

One possible scenario my suspicious mind came up with is the possibility that the seller dropped the Air, knocking the fan out of commission, took it in for warranty repairs which were subsequently denied due to the obvious owner-caused damage and is now passing the headache on to someone else.

Good luck.

 

[Hands Sandon]

Obviously a risky purchase, but you seem willing to take the chance.

I'd give it a thorough workout in the seller's presence before buying it. Indeed, aluminum is not a very tough material and is easily dented so it's entirely possible that the machine has no other damage than what you see. However, as others have noted this definitely gives Apple an "out" when it comes to future warranty repairs.

First, and most obviously check the hinges for smooth operation throughout their entire range of motion.

Next, make sure the fan works as it is located right on the corner where the MBA impacted and is likely a fairly delicate little mechanism.

One possible scenario my suspicious mind came up with is the possibility that the seller dropped the Air, knocking the fan out of commission, took it in for warranty repairs which were subsequently denied due to the obvious owner-caused damage and is now passing the headache on to someone else.

Good luck.

How can he test the fan? I ask because it's actually hard to get the fan going to where it's audible, especially in the 11".

 

[rkheyfets]

How can he test the fan? I ask because it's actually hard to get the fan going to where it's audible, especially in the 11".

open a few tabs with hulu videos at 720p will do it,
also put it on a cloth surface like a sweatshirt

 

[Mr. Savage]

I was actually wrong about the fan location (thanks rkheyfets) it is on the left side. But if the machine has iStat widget (easy free install) it'll show fan speed etc.

 

[Apple OC]

it has been dropped ... offer no more than 400 to 500 for it

 

[rkheyfets]

After looking at the pictures again i think i would offer half off retail so like 550, maybe 500.

 

[Hands Sandon]

If it works fine I'd try to get it for €650, less if he's willing, but no more.

 

[fireballer55]

It is worth two in the bush

 

[jmazzamj]

Thank you again for your prompts replies.

This guy said he had it checked at the Apple Store where he bought it at, so I called in and talked to the Genius who inspected the Air. He confirmed that the damage is minor and cosmetic, he also added that the machine is in excellent overall condition.

At this point I feel almost sure this is a good buy, now the point is the price and you guys have helped me in that regard.

I'm meeting the guy today, I'll update you as I meet him.

Thank you all for the heads up.

 

[matelot]

God I can't stand the exposed ports...on otherwise such sleek design....look like 2 big holes

 

[Gruber]

He has already agreed to meet in a bar or any crowded place.

He has already agreed to meet with a crow bar in my place...

The unibody cases are soft as butter. In our company, we occasionally bend one back into shape... The dinged look is not so nice, and I think that it would warrant a greater discount. I would pay $500, though. If there are no funny noises and visible problems, I am not worried about additional internal failures, but as someone pointed out before: if it breaks, Apple's warranty will probably not help you.

 

[jmazzamj]

I'm back just to report that I met the guy a couple of days ago, I put the computer through several tests, I checked that everything was working properly and it's in exellent overall condition.

I offered 500 for it and the guy asked 600. He eventually agreed to sell it for 540, which is 47% of its retail price.

I put it up for sale on two websites and I have already received a € 700 offer for it.

Cheers and thank you for your replies and advices.