Is Dell a good investment?

Just wondering if it is safe to invest in a Dell Inspiron 1520 (if you want to be more specific)

I have heard many bad things about Dell's quality and how the quality fails after half a year to a years time. My friend bought his dell 3 months ago and now his HDD is not working and he had to send it back (luckily he had 3 years of complete care)

I just wanted to have some more reassurance before I invest or look somewhere else. The only thing driving me towards Dell is their cheap price for high specifications.

Thanks

EDIT: also I would like to get some opinions on the XPS 1330 as well as the Inspiron 1520. Thanks

 

the Inspiron 1520 is a soild notebook; so is the XPS 1330. Actually, Dell overcharges ALOT (they have to in order to cover their marketing campaigns). If you are looking for a cheap price with high specifications, there are many other brands you may want to look into. e.g. Compal and Asus.

 

No laptop is a good investment, they all lose value almost like a new car.

The new Dells are very high quality and I expect will last me a while, as I take care of my electronics.

edit: An Asus with the same specs as a Dell is likely to be more expensive... especially with Dell's ubiquitous coupons.

 

With complete care and at-home service for 3 yrs, its a good investment. They will come to your home to repair/replace it.

Have an amex card or something cover an additional year and you are peaceful for 4 years. What else do you want for 300-400 less than the competition for same configuration?

 

Amex covers 1 more year ?

 

if you buy them straight then they are overpriced, luckily, dell has many coupons/discounts almost all the time. furthermore, if you order over the phone they usually beat the price you can configure online.

 

EPP has great discounts on CC

 

Dell is a decent investment right now, I own 600 shares. :smile: Hopefully with the new product lines and demands that should increase Dell's profits.

As far as the Dell laptop being a good investment, no its not. It will depreciate and require additional investment with software packages. It will become obsolete in a few years, and no longer be worth what you paid for it. That pretty much applies to every computer out there you can buy.

In your situation, I think the 1520 is a great product and I would have bought one if I needed a 15" screen. Im looking for portability and light weight now. I do have a Inspiron 8000 that is over 8 years old that still runs great. So yes they are solid notebooks. I even had the screen replaced after a ceiling fan fell and smashed it to pieces.

An alternative laptop I looked into was the Levino. A Dell product engineer referred me to them as an alternative, explaining they are the best built and most durable laptops out there. Also my sister who is an IBM employee told me that Levino (formerly a division of IBM) was sold by IBM, but is still maintaining the same parts and design that IBM originally used to ensure continued quality.

 

Whatever applies to all laptops is not really a downside? I mean that way computers are like BMW cars, but its not a Dell only phenomenon.

I think you mean Lenovo!

 

Thanks for the clarification, I meant Lenovo! Youre right about the phenomenon. Just look at Apple.

I dont mind paying a premium for a XPS product because for me it is a work tool to make more money. Using it for a presentation to a client can seal the deal right there. Just showing them some specific information on a laptop, on a jobsite with no power can make things happen in my business. Everything from showing plans, designs, financials, and a contract to a client is the most important reason for getting this laptop. Having it sleek, portable, and thin makes a solid impression as well. For me its an investment in a tool to assist me in making more money.

 

xie - How did you get your 1420 with those specs. for that price. The price calculates as much higher on Dell's website.

Thanks,

Eddie G.

 

haha thanks for the replies. I was thinking about this because I was about to buy a Inspiron 1520 for $1250(ish) canadian with the default warranty but when my friend's Dell broke down after 3 months of use, I began to have second doubts.

I see that the Dell coupons on notebook review but they are all for the US and not Canada. I tried the Red Tag Deals coupons but they didnt work on the Canadian Dell site either (the sales rep told me I am already getting like a $250 discount because of the current sale they have so RTD doesnt work).

Can anyone else give me some advice on is the complete care actually NECESSARY on a Dell because if I get complete care that ups the price quite a bit and I already compensated for going with the 1.5ghz instead of the 1.8 ghz c2duo.

Thanks

 

Go with complete care. Build a system without CC, save the cart in your dell account. Call a salesperson, refer the cart, work up a negotiated price for a better deal on CC, quote reviews for the free remote etc. Make sure you do research on prices of each option that's configurable with dell. Make sure you sound like you have done your research. Don't buy during the first call. Ask him/her to email the quote to you for verification. Read you quote carefully and see if everything is to your liking. Call the same guy/girl again and place the order.

Salesperson will almost always get you next day shipping for free.

 

Yes. They have the buyer's assurance plan that will extend it.

 

That's the real trick, isn't it?

Dell was a good investment for me, because if you spec out a laptop like this, as Eddie G noticed, you will find they start at $1400-1500. I have to deal with Dell's customer support and took a gamble with quality (though my screen is gorgeous and this laptop is built like a tank) for an unbeatable price.

 

When you say research price of configurations, what do you mean? Can you give me an example of what you might say? xD I always thought you can only configure dell online and not over the phone so I dont have any experience with this.

Thanks

 

The research is to have data points on your side when you are conversing with the salesperson. He might try to trick you into buying something with some freebies. If you know comparative prices of the various configurable items, you can trap him into giving you what you want for the same price that he quoted. e.g. If you give the impression that you are not sure if you are getting a good deal, he might say, sir, since you are a valuable customer to dell, in order to finalize the order, I will throw in a free carrying case for you, and you really wanted that hard drive upgrade and knew the price is same for both, you could ask for the exchange.

Always make sure to ask to email the quote, verify the quoted price and items and their part numbers in there before placing the order in the second call. This way you also give the impression that you are in no hurry and not overly enthusiastic about the great deal that he is offering. The quote will have the all the information for you to place that order.

 

I see... I've never been no where near good at trying to bargain with people so I might have a little trouble doing this. Also, the specs that I want may not be able to attain at the price that I'm hoping for even with bargaining.

Want...
1.8ghz c2duo (because Dell canada doesnt offer 2.0 ghz on their website so I just assume they dont have it but if they do offer it then I would take the 2ghz)
2gb ram
8600 gt graphics
120 gb HDD
ultra sharp wide screen SXGA+ w/ truelife (not sure the difference between this and the high resolution glossy display, if its the same then I will go for the high resolution glossy because its -$50)
*3years CC plan (doesnt have to be onsite aka. at home pick up)

Hoping to get that for like $1300 CAD before tax if that is remotely possible. Any advice?