General Question

deni's avatar

I'm in the (very exciting) market for a Macbook! Is it worth it to buy used?

Asked by deni (23141points) November 8th, 2009

I’ve been having a few problems with the laptop I have now. I’ve had it for 3 years and it was cheap, it’s an ASUS and recently the CD drive has stopped working. This is a problem for me because I use the CD drive quite frequently for various tasks. Also the battery life on it now is barely an hour. Anyhow, let’s just move along to the fact that I want a Macbook. Just the regular one, not the Pro or the Air. So, those are a thousand bucks, which is kind of a lot for me right now. But I’ve been looking at them used and you can get them for around 500 dollars, with like a 60 day warranty or so.

So, is it worth it to buy a used one? My gut tells me yes, why wouldn’t it be? But I’m not a computer wiz. I’m pretty computer-literate, but I’m not super techy. Or should I just shell out the extra cash and get a brand new one with a longer warranty or whatever? Any input on this would be greatly appreciated, and if you have any other tips on Mac buying I’d be happy to hear those too!

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9 Answers

patg7590's avatar

it depends on what exactly you want to do with it.

skfinkel's avatar

I just got a new Macbook Pro. I have to say, I really like it.

Buttonstc's avatar

If you are looking to save some money but are averse to taking too much of a risk, you may want to look at Apple Refurbs. They have an excellent reputation and carry the same warranty coverage.

Usually these are ones that have been returned within the 30 day period this cannot be sold as new. However, they are gone over with a fine tooth comb by Apple technicians to be sure everything is as it should be before they go up for sale. I would be very comfortable buying an Apple Refurb.

rooeytoo's avatar

Couple of years ago I bought a used macbook on ebay. It was 3 years old when I bought it, I used it for about 3 years, the last 2 running 10hours a day nonstop showing photos, so it was used pretty hard. Anyhow, it just died. I haven’t looked even had it looked at by a tech, I just retired it. I paid $600 for it.

So I guess if you are lucky you can get a good deal, but you never know.

StellarAirman's avatar

Like @Buttonstc said, look into the refurbs. They have a the same warranty as brand new ones. Refurb store

Almost all of my Macs have been refurbs and they’ve been great.

Beta_Orionis's avatar

I second all the refurb motions.

jrpowell's avatar

This is looking like a good deal. I buy all my stuff from the refurbished store and all has worked great. You get the warranty and you can buy AppleCare for it too.

deni's avatar

I’d never thought about refurbished ones….great ideas!

patg7590's avatar

apple certified refurbished ftw

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