best time

when's the best time to buy the lenovo thinkpad t400? I need it for college, which start in mid september. When could i get the best deal? I know that there is 15% off on any thinkpads right now but will there be better deals?

 

There are sales ALL the time. Lenovo does a 21 day price-match in case there's another sale going on and if you find the computer you configured is cheaper, they'll refund you the difference. Wow, why wait?

You can also save a price as quote which they'll match for 30 days (?) after the sale.

 

in my experience sales come and go and usually offer more or less the same discount, just under a different name (there's usually a "back to school" sale in August/September). There's a chance that he longer you can wait some component prices might come down, but there's always the price match if that happens, too. You might be able to get additional discounts through visa or amex.

Also, don't forget that shipping delays can occur and are totally unpredictable so leave plenty of time to get your new machine delivered.

 

The "Best Deal" is tough to get.

 

I would recommend you monitor the sales between now and early August and see when you get a good price. You can configure a model now and save it as a quote for later (good in case the price rises).

You should try and order your T400 early enough so that you get it a few weeks before classes start so you can get used to it.

 

Just a side note: Quotes are valid for 30 days, then they expire with no commitment on your part.

 

well now i decided to buy it.. but the 15% off coupon is gone.. and i forgot to save my configuration with the coupon.. do you think another sale will come soon or should i just buy t400 without the use of the coupon?

 

I'd wait till mid-late July to buy it, no need to rush if you start school in Sept.

 

I would try going through the student discount link and compare it to none-student link ( www.lenovo.com) with the 15% discount. See which has the best deal.

https://shoplenovo.i2.com/SEUILibra...al/en_US/StdAffinity:Home?affinity=usstudents

There was the employee discount a couple of weeks ago on the T-series using the link above, fully loaded minus blu-ray was around 1600 w/ tax. But, I wanted the W500 which is still 200+ more than the T500.

The father's/Grad day sale ends on tomorrow, 30th. So, I expect Lenovo to have a July 4th or back to school sale soon.

 

I would defenetely wait if you can. New coupons and offers are always coming from Lenovo. I think it would be foolish to not even get one coupon off the order. If you wait and time things right you can get a lot more off, but you have to be willing to wait and have patience.

 

now is the best time. you get vista and you are entitled to windows 7. the t400 is also almost a year old now so prices is going down. there are holidays meaning its cheaper price drops comming soon

 

Anyone know when the next thinkpad refresh is coming?

 

how does quote work? Do i just copy and paste the specification or something? what am i suppose to do?

 

What you do is configure a machine with all the options/accessories/warranty you would order if you ordered immediately. Then when you go to the checkout screen, apply any coupons/gift certificates/discounts you have. Then in the final step at the very bottom of the screen there will be a button that says something to the effect of order now or submit order. DO NOT CLICK ON THAT as you will order the machine, instead click on the link/button that says convert this order to a quote. Then you should get an email from lenovo with a confirmation number and your configuration, which will be saved for you for 30 days. In that 30 days you can choose to order that config by clicking a link from the email they sent you or you can choose to ignore it and nothing happens(i.e you are not forced to order the machine and you won't be charged).

 

thanks. i get it now.

 

next T comes in jan 10 according to their roadmap

 

Regardless of when you buy, you should check for lower pricing for the next 21 days following shipment. If you see a lower price, create a quote with the same spec and they will refund the difference to you.

 

Rumor has it that the ThinkPad T410/T510 based on Intel's Calpella platform will be released in January.

The T400 has become a mature platform, I wasn't willing to wait, and (after the last nVidia mobile graphics fiasco) I wanted ATI graphics and couldn't be sure the T410/T510 would have them. So I bought now, while I new I could get what I wanted.

 

I just found a leaked road map and saw that. I think your thinking on your T400 purchase was wise. BTW - why did you go for another laptop in addition to the one you already have?

PS - LoneWolf, I love the way you think and reading your posts/responses. I didn't see you on the board for a while. Keep up the good work.