I want to buy a 2nd hand laptop. is IBM the only choice?

I don't think its so much about brand as its about model. Whatever you're looking at, make sure you read plenty of reviews on it.

I would also certainly reinstall any operating system you're planning on running as soon as you get it in. Should work out fine.

 

refurbished macs are out there (and i've never owned a mac)

 

dell outlet is good.

what are yo looking to do with the 2nd laptop?
just browse the web?

you can get a netbook for $200-$300

 

as said above, all these companies use the same parts, it doesn't really matter

what do you want to use the laptop for?
how long do you plan on using it?
your budget

these are the important questions

 

IBM hasn't made laptops in a while. Lenovo took their business. And if it's second-hand and you're just going to be using it like a normal person as opposed to using it in a warzone or something, just look for a good deal on whatever... stick with HP, Dell, etc. and your odds of the thing failing or working are all about the same.

 

My IBM broke down in 3 years. I kept it for my senior year in high school, but it had to be plugged into a wall at all times and it broke down very often. It was great when it worked, but it always broke down a lot.

 

Given how cheap laptops are becoming and how fast the technology is getting displaced, I would not worry about a Laptop needing to last more than 3 years.

 

pretty much 1 or 2 Taiwanese companies manufacture all the laptops now. all these american companies do is put their lil logo on it.

dell outlet is a good place to knock off a few hundred dollars for a virtually new laptop.

right now they have their business line latitudes for 20% off in the outlet. they come with a 3 year business warranty also.

 

What's your price range?

 

Since I am also in the hunt for new laptop (new or used, but budget is $700) I will join in this thread.

I found this website and it has a nice price Macbook for $700, but it is refrubished. Is that a good deal?

http://fixthatmac.com/index.php?c=web1.14

I am in SF and their store is about 30 minutes away so they said I can still look at it in store.

The problem is 90 warranty parts and services. Is that dangerous?

 

the HP refurbished store

http://h71016.www7.hp.com/html/hpre.../buspurchase-refurbished/computing/price-list

 

Laptops of any brand have an expected life of around 3-4 years, which is why you can't buy a warranty on a laptop beyond 3 years. It becomes a losing proposition.

I had an HP laptop for 3.5 years which I then sold, and 2.5 years later it's still working fine for the guy who bought it off me.

On the other hand, the newer HP model I replaced it with died in 2 years (faulty graphics card).

It's all pure luck, really. If you want a computer that won't break, get a desktop...

 

I bought an IBM Thinkpad T42 in July, 2004 before college. Here I am almost 5 years later and it still works great. I had to send it in twice (once to replace mobo/video card and once the fan assembly) but it was under the 4-year warranty both times.

IBM's depot warranty service is fantastic. They next-day ship you a box to place the laptop in, pay for next shipping back to the depot, and had my laptop back to me in a little over a week from when I shipped it to them

Most IBM laptops are tanks. They just don't die. I'll probably buy a macbook if I get into med school but I'll keep this guy and repurpose it into a media server or something.

 

my lenovo thinkpad is awsome. i messed up windows boot config and it diagnosed the problem and fixed it on the next start. i was amazed.

 

I have and do. Refurbished Macs are available direct from Apple with the same warranty and AppleCare as brand new computers.

http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac