Buying a used MBA...any tips?

I'm looking at buying the previous model MBA in 13". Is there anything I should look for when purchasing a used one or any pro/con people have experienced.

Thanks

 

buying used laptop or tips on the MBA? I'll give u pointers on buying a used computer.

Check the serial number, match it to the box and content. Always read the person and their behavior and whether their story or facts match up. If everything is good but they lie about something little like where they are from or whose computer it is, red flag goes up in my head to be more cautious. I might still buy it but I ask questions.

Ask questions. Check everything. if its under warranty then you need to call and get that transferred from apple. If it is not, check EVERYTHING. Type in a word document all the keys to make sure they work, brightness and volume control, restart and shutdown the computer. try the optical drive. make sure there's no password protection.

Make sure you know the specs and check the "About this mac" to see that it is the same model and description they listed. I had someone tell me brand new 2010 macbook air, had me drive over an hour to find them in the middle of restoring to factory settings. It said estimated wait time, 2 hours. I was pissed because they made me drive. They lied. The box was refurbished, and she STILL claimed it was bought in the apple store. I then looked and saw that it had a backlit keyboard, the vents were on the bottom, was thicker and heavier, and 2 hour estimated time for a factory restore indicates that there is no SSD. I said, thanks but no thanks and left.

Always be curious so you dont get held up. Meet in a public place, pref starbucks or cafe to try the wifi.


Basically I would just make sure you know the MBA model you want and all the specs very well. and that what you are getting IS in fact what they say it is.

 

If you are going to buy a 1st gen Air then make sure its an SSD version, otherwise unless you get one hell of deal on it don't go for it, I'd suggest a 2nd gen Air, they have the faster graphics, faster SSD, faster CPU.

 

only tip i have is you cant upgrade the memory later. so be sure what you get is what you want.

 

If by 'previous MBA' you mean the 1st gen, I thought those were experiencing some issues with the screen-hinges.

Maybe something to look out for ;-)

 

Well it'll be my first Apple product so I'm in a bit of a learning curve with it and the Mac arena. I think the best way to get into my specific questions would be to give some info on the particular MBA I'm interested in.

Based on the info from the seller:
-Purchased April 2010 (I'm guessing this is 1st gen?)
-2.13 Ghz processor
-128 SSD
-other standard features for the model
-Had headphone jack replaced (I'm guessing under Applecare)

Here are some things I'm curious about:
-Do I have to notify Apple of change in ownership?
-Can I, not the original owner purchase extended Applecare?
-What is the screen-hinge issue?
-Is the 2nd gen MBA the late 2010 models?

 

How much of a deal are you getting on it?

I would recommend getting the 2nd gen MBA if possible for just a little more...

 

They are asking for 800, but I'm offering less. Closer to 600. I would put more in for a new one if the price was higher for the older models. I have seen other MBAs going for 600-700 so ok sure I could find one for the right price. Otherwise the newer one isn't a bad option.

 

I was just looking up the specs, technically that would be the first refresh that they did, and depending on if you consider generations by looks or by hardware it could be a first gen or a second lol.

Anyways, $800 is way to high in my opinion, you're right to offer $600 in my opinion. You could extend applecare as long as its still within the first year since purchased, and yes they are very particular. Hit the serial into apples system at support.apple.com and you'll see when it was purchased and if you can add applecare. But just remember, apple care will bump it up another how much so you're looking at a expensive initial investment for a used computer and at that point is new better?

 

Ya I called the local Apple store and talked to them. I can extend it as long as its before the first year is up. It'll roughly be $250 plus tax. So if I can get it for $600 I'm at $850+. I'm tempted to throw out $500 as an offer, but that might be pushing it.

 

So getting the serial number from the guy it seems that it isn't under warranty as he claimed according to the Apple website.

I did come across one of the newer generation someone wants to get rid of for a SLR camera (supposedly purchased in November, 2010). They've maxed out the options for the 13" model (processor, ram, ssd capacity).

How much of a "depreciation" is available for these models being a few months old?

 

The newest MacBook Air that was released in October 2010 is the third generation. MacBook Air 3.1 in System Profiler. You're looking at a second generation. $800 is a decent price, if you can pay less that's always better. As far as a third generation fully loaded 13" you're not gonna get one of those for $800. That's $1000 off the new pre-tax price, over $700 off the refurbished pre-tax price. Perhaps a used base 11" model would be a better option for the newer guts and warranty?

 

I'm aware of not being to get the brand new fully loaded model for $800. I'm was just curious what would the price point be after a few months of use with the new model.

I found someone willing to sell a 3rd gen MBA 13" fully loaded they purchased in November, 2010 for $1400 with the superdrive. The serial number they gave me has Apple Care till November of this year. Just gonna meet up with them and make sure its in "like new" condition as they say.

Wish me luck!

 

just make sure its really a 3rd gen and they aren't trying to dump a 2nd gen they found somewhere cheap like its a 3rd gen

 

This is a pretty good deal, for the 2nd gen... but check on apples site for refurbs, they are as good as new...

 

It was a third gen, but I didn't go after it after I saw the back case was missing a screw and the others looked like someone was trying to get at them and not succeeding. It all just stopped when I saw that.

The refurbs are an option.

 

Im guna tell you right now but (imo) the airs are all complete and utter rip-offs. The mbp are better, just better in every regard. The air is even too thin, doesnt feel durable.. But really would you pay $1000 to make your laptop 0.15 inch thinner? Because that's the price you pay in specs and markup. And your getting it used, just buy a mbp you'll get a much better comp. In fact if your not getting at least a 15 ich mbp I'd recommend a good pc, which makes much more economical sense. But really whatever you do don't get an air, especially the first gen ones (terrible these days, mostly broken too), get an 13 or 15 mbp.

Sorry for grammer, sent from phone

 

Actually what you can do is get the serial number. Apple Stores and resellers have the capability to even see the repair history, and if support has been denied for any reason. They will also tell you the actual system profile as well as purchase date. Highly recommended you do this. I would also goto an apple store and have them run a diagonstic before you buy. If your in Washington my company does that for free.

 

Xhibit, my brother says they're rip offs as well but it's more suited for what I'm looking for. Something quick, light, portable, and I must say I do love the look and feel of it from playing with it in the store. It's not really gonna be a gaming machine (other than WC3), but rather for word processing, MS Project, MS Visio, and yes Win 7 partition. Lack of optical drive didn't bother me either. I only wish it had the backlit keyboard, but otherwise I'm happy with the purchase. As for getting a stronger computing machine (since my HP dv9xxx is limping with the stupid NVIDIA issue) I wouldn't consider a MBP, but rather a ASUS G73 or a Qosmio 18.4" with Sandy Bridge when ever it comes out.

So I ended up popping for the newest gen MBA fully loaded (2.13ghz, 4gb ram, 256ssd) for roughly a bit over $200 off the Apple price. Supposedly he got it a few days ago and his company got him a new laptop so there was no need for it. The guy didn't even open up the plastic around the box. I looked into the serial number and Apples tracking number to him and it all checked out.

Telephone tech till June, 2011.
Factory warranty till March, 2012.
Eligible for AppleCare.

This is my first major Apple product (other than the iPod). WOOT!

Now I need a sleeve of some sort...

 

Little guy,

You won't regret the purchase, a bit.
Some feel the product is not right for them, so they need to say it is not right for others, in order to feel secure in their opinion.

 

I'm very happy with it. I just need to get my Win 7 setup and the programs I need on it (Visio & Project & Office) plus I'm considering getting Office for Mac. I'm only worried that there will be alignment and other potential glitches when going from Mac to Win based Office documents.

 

So model numbers like 3,1 or 2,1 mean third gen or second gen respectively?

 

Seem like it. Here is what it says under System Profiler-

Model Identifier: MacBookAir3,2

 

I am using a 3rd gen (3,1) so should I be aware of any issues ?

 

I've had mine for less than a week so far, but everything I've learned about the MBA leads me to believe that they've worked out all the kinks the previous ones had.