What would you do?

I have been looking for a new apple and I recently (tonight) came across a mac book pro on craigslist.. Here is the listing


"What a great deal --- A $2500 laptop + upgrades for $1350. Call the cell listed below if interested. For sale is an Apple MacBook Pro Intel CoreDuo laptop which is a year old this month and is still in like new condition! The RAM has been upgraded to 2GB, 100G hard drive, 256M ATI Video card. Runs Windows and Windows games great. There are no scratches or physical imperfections on the laptop. It has been restored to Apple Store default settings and is waiting for someone to give it a new home! "

Anyways, I was looking at just a Macbook, but after seeing this, would it be better to go for the Macbook Pro cause I am just using it for college stuff, maybe a little gaming but mainly surfing, word processing, itunes, the usual.

Please let me know your opinion on what would be the best to do. Thanks

 

That isn't a terrible price. If you decide to go with it make sure and get Applecare before the year warranty runs out. I would be a bit suspicious that someone is selling the machine just before the warranty is going to run out.

 

Can I get applecare through apple or how do I go about it?

 

You mentioned it was a "core duo"? Not a "Core 2 duo"? Keep in mind we are on the second generation of core 2 duo and that $1350 price may sound good in numbers but the orig core duo had heat issues.

 

You can purchase it from a third party. There was a link in one of the recent threads for a retailer selling it for around $250 for two years. You can also check ebay. The key is to make sure Applecare is applied before the original 1 year warranty expires.

 

From Apple:

6. Transfer of Plan
You may transfer this Plan to a new owner of the Covered Equipment by sending, faxing or e-
mailing notice of transfer to Apple Computer, Inc., ATTN: Agreement Administration, MS: 217-
AC, 2511 Laguna Blvd, Elk Grove, CA 95758, U.S., fax number 916-399-7337 or
[email protected], respectively. You must provide the Plan Agreement Number, the
serial numbers of the Covered Equipment being transferred, proof of purchase of the Plan, and
the name, address, telephone number and email address of the new owner.

Looks to me like the service must be bought by the original owner. Maybe something can be worked out between you and the seller.

I'd be very careful about third-party plans. Sager, for one, has had a lot of issues with its third-party service provider, which went bankrupt. Can't think of another at the moment, but I've read posts and articles about other companies with the same sorts of issues.

 

true, didn't think about that.

Also.. I will get to see this in person cause it will be a local buy. What should I look for besides the obvious stuff?

 

Check to see if the parts are working. Tell him to turn on the laptop, try out the backlit keyboard, feel for loose keys, try the iSight camera. Make sure the re-install discs work fine. Check for bumps or scratches.

 

Be sure to get AppleCare. That way if it is a buggy system, at least you have some recourse. If it is pretty beat up, don't buy it as Apple can use that as a basis for not allowing repairs.