like-new MBP vs brand new vs nothing

My daughter (high school sophomore) has been bugging us for Mac laptop. friend has Macbook Pro 15", bought about one year ago and hasn't used; will sell for $800. Has 4 GB, the Intel core......She is willing to use her money -- is this a reasonable decision or do we kick in difference to buy the current version or wait until college (and use our IMacs)? Thank you.

 

$800 is too much to pay for used Intel core processor based Mac, although you did say it was a 15". I dunno, others will chime in but that's just my 2 cents. Buying it new will get you a warranty, buying it used after a year old will not. The current (while outdated) white Macbook is $999 brand new and your daughter can get the student discount plus free iPod next week.

 

You need to get the full system specs on the 15"er to know if its worth that or not.

 

If its a 2010 model or even 2009 its a great deal regardless of specs.
Go the ebay and check completed listings to know what they are selling for

 

$800 is a great deal if it's a 2010 15" core i5 model.

 

I believe the OP stated that it is a MBP, and 800$ for a 2010 MBP 15in is a very good deal. Even if it is 2009. If it is a plain macbook, not worth it.

 

for 2010, would be a steal. for 2009: $800 is cheap enough.

 

There is also the option of a new 2011 13" MBP for $999 from Microcenter. It all depends if she actually needs the 15" size or not. The better option for her would be to get the new MBP simply because you can buy AppleCare (a warranty) for it and actually get new hardware. The better buy is the used 15" for $800 (though I would pass on the deal if it was a 2009 model).

 

Here is another option:

13" @ $900 with warranty from apple. It will look brand new.

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC374LL/A?mco=MTgwOTc3Mjg

Air @ $1100:

http://store.apple.com/us/product/FC503LL/A?mco=MjA2NTk3NzI

 

Though, as I said, Microcenter sells the 2011 13" model for $999 kind of negating the need to buy a refurbished 2010 model which only has a slight GPU advantage.

 

in-store only... doesn't help since MicroCenter is only in a few locations, its not available to everyone.

 

I agree. The OP needs to find out processor, HDD, GPU and RAM specs to even begin to make an informed decision.

 

if the daughter wants a 13in (which I think is most likely) then getting a new MBP 11 would be best. Girls like tiny laptops that are easy to carry around, and don't care about gaming. So the lack of a discrete gpu will hardly even be noticed.

If she wants 15in(unlikely) and the MBP from a friend is 2010, definitely go for it

 

Ah yeah, I forgot about that. I didn't leave near a Microcenter for 95% of my life, I moved to a place with a Microcenter a year ago, and now think they are everywhere.

 

Honestly, I don't even know what a microcenter is...

 

I appreciate everyone’s input.

The specs are as follows: MacBook Pro 7.1 15" Intel Core-2 Duo, 2.4 GHz, 4 GB 1067 MHz DDR3. Sorry for the delay.

 

I bought a similar (older) MBP last year on eBay and paid around $1100 and felt I did well (and it only had 2GB RAM).

I'm thinking your daughter would take a 13" or 15" (or anything else) and probably be thrilled.

15" is bigger and heavier, if she's going to be toting it around a lot; if she's like my daughter and it goes from her bedroom to downstairs and back, the size and weight won't matter.

If you feel your friend ihas taken good care of the MBP, I personally think $800 is a good deal. On the other hand, a similarly configured 13" refurb is available for $99 more on the Apple store and will come with a full 1 year warranty.

Tough choice...

 

Wait a minute.

Is it just me or does it not look/sound right? Isn't a MBP "7,1" a 2010 version? I don't think a MBP "7,1" comes with a Core2Duo 2.4GHz CPU in 15" sizes.... I only know of the MBP "7,1" with a Core2Duo 2.4GHz CPU coming in 13" sizes (MC374LL/A). Maybe I'm totally wrong. Kindly correct me if I am.

interestedparent, you might want to check again to make sure that it is a 15" & not a 13" MBP.

Good luck.

 

Yeah, my 2010 15" i7 is a 6,2 model.