US X200 T configuration & Price help

Looks like I a now want to buy the following after the apparent problems with the X200 screens. I would like to get the cheapest deal on the following:

X200 T (Tablet)
the 1280 x 800 non LED (so CCFL) screen
160 GB HDD
Webcam
4 cell battery (need to keep weight down)

(no need for bluetooth or fingerprint reader)

Cheapest price I can find is over U$2,000. Does anyone know of any deals? Of course it may be difficult since I don't want the LED screen.

Then maybe another question, does anyone know (Jon?) whether the 1280 x 800 (+webcam) screens that get used on the European X200s are from the same manufacturer as those horrid X200 screens?

 

You might take a look at the Lenovo Outlet's selection of new X200 tablets. There's no customization of machines offered there, but new X200 tablets are available for around $1,200.00, which is a significant savings. It may be difficult to find the exact configuration you want, but here's one that's close to what you're looking for: X200T. The new machine to which I linked isn't in this category, but it's my experience that those displays that aren't indicated as "w/backlight" are CCFL LCDs. Keep in mind you save money by upgrading the indicated RAM and HDD yourself.

Customer service, order information and shipping times are hit-or-miss at the Lenovo Outlet: there have been many complaints on multiple forums about all three of these aspects. Be sure to take and keep screenshots of the listed system configuration, your shopping cart (that indicates the listing ID, which helps keep track of your order), and, most importantly, the checkout confirmation screen, which contains a unique order ID. All of this information is vital to tracking your order should it not arrive by the indicated date, if your order arrives and does not have the indicated specifications (often, specifications are upgraded in your favor, but downgrades have also been known to occur), or if the advertised warranty is not listed in the warranty status system (this happened with the X200T I purchased, but a telephone call to customer service, during which I provided my order ID, corrected this problem). Nonetheless, excellent deals can be had. I've purchased two systems from the outlet without any difficulties.

Also, if you're willing to consider a refurbished X200 tablet, they have such systems for around $1000.00. My X200T is refurbished, and I couldn't tell it from a new one. The outlet was nice enough to include an ultrabase that wasn't indicated on the listing. Others have indicated that sometimes, such inclusions occur. And, if what you receive is far from what's advertised, the outlet will allow you to return the system--because of Lenovo error--without assessing a restocking fee.

Cheers,
~tdr.

 

Thank you for all the help ... very nice response. Will give all that a try ... about the delivery times ... are they like WEEKS ?

 

You're quite welcome. I'm happy to photograph the refurbished X200T I received as an example of the condition of such a machine.

The two orders I placed arrived within a couple of days, fore or aft, of the originally provided shipping date. Now, there are other experiences, such as this one, that Mr. Ken Fox, a long-standing and very well respected member of the thinkpads.com forum, provided that may well scare you off from the Lenovo outlet. I'd say that shipping experiences are in line with Lenovo's retail operation (the Lenovo Outlet store is operated by Channel Advisor, Inc., as published here) and experiences vary. I'd utilize the Outlet's advanced search feature, try to find what you want--new or refurbished--and see what happens. I'm linking to Mr. Fox's experience to show the hit-or-miss nature of shopping the outlet store. There's also a thread here at NBR in which people relay their experiences with the Lenovo outlet. Again, experiences seem mixed.

I'm happy to answer any questions you may have, if I can. I hope this information helps you find the best available X200T.

Cheers,
~tdr.