I need ADVICE on buying used Laptop

Hello all, i am new here & i am new to laptops as well, its been a whole lot since i was stuck with Desktop pcs & now i have to move ahead for a laptop as i am planning to travel abroad for Business purpose, i do have 0% knowledge about Laptops haha.. so yes i need your help guys, i cannot afford a new Laptop so i am planning to go for a used one, actually i have been to the Market today & i have got few Quotations in my hand which i considered to be reasonable prices.
I need your help on how to judge whether a USED LAPPY is in fine condition, what to & how to check, things to keep in mind while purchasing a used LAPPY.. i hope i don't sound like a idiot but well ...

i am just a normal user & i do not have as such heavy requirements, mostly i use PC to stay on FB, YAHOO & skype, you guys can say i am internet savvy that is it. so following are the machines in my mind :

Dell Inspiron 600m
Dell D610
Toshiba Portage M400(I do not really need that graphic tab thing but i liked uniqueness that is offers)
HP NC6400

Looking forward for your suggestions guys...

Thanksie
Shoaib

 

What is your budget? On a low budget, I'd definitely get a Toshiba satellite C series laptop. Cheap yet definite vfm compared to other laptops.

 

Thanks for the immediate response flyingfalcon,, umm my budget is around 200 - 250 $, yes there was a Toshiba Satellite series LAPPY as well & the guy was asking around 150$ for that .. which one do you consider to be the MOST RELIABLE Machine? as i am moving abroad & i really want to stay in touch with my family back home.. Please suggest me the best possible machine for that purpose

 

Guys also suggest me some Good lappies with built-in WEBCAM...

 

It might help if you said what your budget was. There's lots of $300-400 laptops these days.

 

My Budget is around 250$ dear

 

For your intended usage (internet 'work') and $250, I would be trying to get a new netbook type system with an AMD C50 or higher.

Is that kind of system possible in your area?

To buy an 'older' system for the same money seems a crime to me. Yes, it will have a bigger keyboard, screen and maybe even more performance - but you will be stuck with XP or Vista and battery life that may be essentially non-existant.

A new netbook (or any notebook based on a lower end AMD processor and the right $$$) will at least offer Windows 7, a webcam and with 2GB RAM will have enough performance, battery life and warranty that even if it cost a little more, it will be worth it in the long run.

Here, I have seen less than $200 netbook's used in professional applications - they aren't better than a good used notebook - but where they excel is in the battery life.

Hope this helps.

 

I bought a barebones Dell Latitude E6400 still in warranty for 125. I got a P8400 (35), 4 GB RAM (40), 160 GB HDD (30), ODD (15), slightly used 6 cell battery (22) for a complete working notebook. You can also find whole laptops for 250 if you camp out Ebay. If you spend a bit more, you can still find in warranty T400's for the ~300-350 range.

 

Oh i see... so nice of you guys...