Used top of the line or new mid-level TP?

If both can be obtained for similiar cost which would you prefer and why:

T42p 15" 1600x1200 Flexview/ATI FireGL 128MB/1.8 P-M 745/1 GB RAM/60 GB HD/DVDRW/Wifi/Bluetooth/XP Pro/2-3 yr warranty

R61 14.1" 1280x800/Intel x3100/1.8 Core2Duo T7100/1 GB RAM/120 GB HD/DVDRW/Wifi/Bluetooth/Vista Business/3 yr warranty

How does build quality, upgradeability and overall aesthetics compare between the 2 models?

 

Used top of the line. Depending on how used it is however. If its in great shape then why not? Thinkpad warranty goes with the machine, not the owner, so it will always have its warranty.
Plus that T42p, although slightly older, will spank that silly R61 in most tasks, however the T7100 in the R61 is better.

 

The T42 has better graphics and higher screen resolution, if that's what you want, but the T7100 in the R61 will feel so much faster. When I went to dual-core, it made a tremendous difference in every application. I'd go R61. BTW, I got my Z61e for only $749 from newegg.com. They might still have some.

 

New R61. The T42p's hardware is two generations old. The only thing that's worth keeping is the 1600x1200 display and the FireGL GPU. Unless those are your top priorities, I would rather get the R61.

Regarding upgradebaility, the T42p is basically stuck. Last generation hardware costs more than current generation (Supply and Demand).

Theoretically, the R61 should have a better build quality. It features a top and bottom roll cage, whereas the T42p doesn't.

 

There is another possibility. I got my T23 and refurbished it completely myself for $400 (with 576mb ram and 120gb drive) and it pwns. Boot time in XP is 25 seconds and I can crank out photoshop pictures like there is no tomorrow. It feels no slower than my desktop with Athlon 64 3200+ overclocked to 2.4gz with a 7800gtx. Btw, it weighs 4.7 lbs and gets 3.5 hours of battery life on a full battery.

 

Thanks everyone for your input! I'm still torn though For software development which model would be more practical? How does the old Flexview screen compare to what's out now?

 

I would definitely go with the newer model that was slightly used. As much as I hate to purchase used things, a laptop is fairly easy to clean up. Besides, you don't have much to lose with the warranty anyways.

 

Get a fully loaded T43; much better unit. Flexview is very nice and its to bad Lenovo got rid of it.

 

Flexview is far better than what they offer now.
That T42p will seriously spank a lot of laptops being offered nowadays, with the exception of the full loaded gaming rigs and the T60p and T61p and MBP.

 

R61. I had a T40 for a few years, and my current stable of machines are clearly faster in all regards. The T42p's screen would be nice for development work, but that's its only redeeming quality.