How to buy from the Lenovo outlet

Hi again guys,

I'm totally sold for the Lenovo T61 or the R61, I want to buy it from the Lenovo Outlet being this my only chance to get a solid laptop considering my budget.

How can I get the best deal on all the array of possibilities that the Outlet offers?

I appreciate all the advices you can give me to buy the best possible laptop.

Also I want to know if there is some chance to get a decent deal on a business laptop this upcoming monday?

 

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/LenovoOutlet/Notebook/New/ThinkPad%20T%20Series/

Maybe you can call and bargin with them.

 

is that link a joke or can you actually order from that?

ym

 

No joke. I just bought my T61 from there for $744.

 

If you don't mind refurbs as opposed to only "new", try this link too.

http://stores.channeladvisor.com/LenovoOutlet/Store/Search.aspx?&Page=1&Sort=2&key=T61

FWIW, I am a brand new owner of a refurb X200 from the Lenovo outlet.

 

Prescott, how can I do that? can I call lenovo and ask them if they can offer me a better price for a determined laptop? I guess I need to use the SKU for that or there's another way?

Thanks

Hey Man, thank you so much for your advices, I really don't mind if is refurb or "brand new" but I want to grab a good deal on a T61 14.1".

 

One other piece of advice, don't be in a hurry! Yes there are reasonable deals right now, but do yourself a favor and look around before buying. I know a lot of the rebates and discounts expire, but if there's anything i've learned over the years it's that there will always be another sale. I configured an SL300 Friday prior to buying my new Macbook and with fatwallets %10 cashback and the %15 discounts, prices weren't too bad. Another thing to remember is often it's cheaper to upgrade ram and hard drives on your own. This isn't always the case, but usually is.

I've heard that it's possible to configure a system online with rebates and call sales and get other free things thrown into the mix or the price reduced. Never done it myself because I don't have the time or patience to deal with some knuckle headed sales person who would lie to their grandmother to close a deal.

Good luck and happy hunting.
I love my R61 and the T61 is supposed to be even better. Nice choice.

 

Thank you very much for your advice acruxksa.

I couldn't agree more with you, I'll take my time, I have learned over this 2 years of looking deals over the internet is that tech always become cheaper, and there is always better deals around the corner. The only thing that annoys me is there is a lot of options even for my budget ($600) so, at the end is easy to make a mistake and regret later on.

My exact situation is that I have an credit card account and I can buy things in the USA, and I put the address of a friend of mine and she ships me the goods very well wrapped, but I want to maximize every penny because for me 600 dollars is a lot of money...

Again, thank you and I owe you a +1 rep point

 

The T61 14" is a discontinued product so you won't find a better deal than those down the road because there won't be any around. I really doubt if the outlet will bargain with you. The demand is too high and they know they'll sell them. I bought a new T61 14" widescreen from there and I'm glad I did. I got good hardware, a good processor, and only paid 676.00. I am really pleased with this laptop. I dumped my Dell M1330 on e-bay. I was glad to get rid of that.

 

Im almost sold by the T61 but I've checked the Dell Outlet and the prices for the Latitude Laptops are quite appealing.

 

wow... I never even knew this existed. I just saw a T61p with very similar specs to the t500 I was looking to get for less than half the price!

What is the catch to this/why don't people generally do this?

 

I'd guess is for the limited warranty, but I'm not pretty sure, I'm about to pull the trigger for a T61 but Im a little bit confused/hesitant because there are some good deals on brand new laptops, ie

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=9119875&type=product&id=1218026374652

The other thing I want to know is if is better to get a D630 from the Dell outlet or a T61 from the lenovo's one?

 

ZimCS,
Thanks for the info. I guess I never paid attention to the URL since I bought my X300 from there. Basically fully loaded with the VZW card inside which was what I wanted. I just didn't want to pay the new actication since I already had service with VZW. The T61 would be a good fit for one of my contractors,
thanks alot.!!

ym

 

I'd love to be one of your contractors lol

 

You may want to take a screen capture detailing the specific configuration before purchasing as proof. I once bought a T61, and they sent it without the ultrabase listed. I managed to get a refund since I did have the screenshot.

 

sg4472002, thank you very much for your advice, I'll have it very present.

My chances to get a business nb are decreasing rapidly lol because now my budget is only $ 500 at a max, I checked the Dell Outlet and found that the D531 is a good choice, what do you think guys?

I found a N200 in the lenovo outlet for 400 bucks but I really don't want a 15.4" laptop, and besides it has a Celeron processor.

Should I wait for a decent deal later in december, or considering my budget it wouldn't be a point to consider.

Thank you for all your help so far, it has helped me a lot

 

The best shot you can do is try to get it off of craigslist, where people are selling their laptop to pay for bills, or year end christmas cash. Lots of good deals to be found there..PM me if you need more details.

 

I keep checking it from time to time and some of the deals now are good. But there is always something new that may come up. If you are in a hurry, go for it. Otherwise, you may want to wait. The T400s and 500s may turn up soon as well. I generally get a new rather than a refurbished.
I have also bought from the Dell outlet - they are little more prompt with their delivery in my experience. I have used a latitude D630 in the past and it was very good. D531 should be good as well. I am sure you have looked at the reviews here.
By the way, I made a mistake in the previous post - I bought a X61 and not a T61.

 

Fortunately for me I'm not in a hurry, I think I'm gonna save a little bit to buy a new laptop, and not a refurbished one. I was hoping to find a really good deal on a 14.1" but this season wasn't the case, though I saw a dv4 on bestbuy for 500 but they were sold out before I realized.

I looked at the dell outlet and there are some good deals, I read the review on the D531 and the D630, and they pointed out that the D531 is more like budget laptop compared to the D630, and the first weights like a pound more in the 14.1 version. I also dislike the bulky design in all the Dell laptops, that's a turn off for me.

Anyway, thank you for your help so far, also everybody who has posted here, it's been a great help and I've learned things I did ignore in the past.

 

A consumer model just won't compare in durability and quality to a business class, whether it be Dell or Lenovo. Stick with a business model, don't let low prices tempt you - in a year when your consumer laptop is falling apart, you'll wish you had spent the extra hundred dollars on something better built.

 

Thanks for your comment sparta.rising,

You are right, although I have found that HP's quality is fairly good compared with other manufactures, still I want to buy a lenovo or any other laptop brand but a business model.

 

OK I've just pulled it out and ordered a Lenovo T61 from the Lenovo Outlet, the laptop is new, not refurbished.

It has the following specs:

Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 (2.00 GHz).
Windows vista business
14.1" TFT WXGA+
2GB PC2-5300 DDR2 SDRAM
80 GB HDD 5400 rpm
CD-RW/DVD Combo
9 cell Li-ion battery
Ultranav (Trackpoint and touchpad)
nVidia Quadro NVS 140M
1 Year standard warranty

Total (including shipping and taxes): 619 USD.

What do you think guys? Was a good deal? I really don't need the dvd burner or a bigger HDD, and I liked the fact is has a good processor, a better resolution screen and the 9 cell battery plus the dedicated graphic card.

 

Looks like a quality product at a decent price.

If you ever do decide you need a DVD±RW or large hard drive it is easy to add them later on.

 

Yeah, an upgrade of that kind wouldn't be hard.

Thanks