buying used Thinkpads

Hello,

I really like the T series because it is a good tradeoff between
performance and portability. I don't quiate care about CPU power
and can't justify paying over $1,000 for a new T60. I am ondering
where I could find good deals on used T4x's.

IBM is an obvious source and I noticed on eBay serveral sellers
(like thinkpadworld, premier-pc-auctions) sell such IBM-sourced
machines with 3-month IBM warranty.

I am wondering if people here had experience buying such
machines. How are they conditioned? Is it a good idea to buy an
extended (non-IBM) warranty (as the machines on eBay
sometimes bundled with). I don't think there's much support
available. If anything goes wrong, is it going to be simply
replaced?

Many thanks.

Jim

 

Jim,
Buying a Thinkpad is like buying a Mercedes. I don't mean to sound like a snob but you sound like someone who's looking for a Hyundai or Kia. I suggest you look at the Office Depot or Staples add from Sunday's newspaper. They usually have a $399-$499 notebook on the front page of their add.

Buying used notebooks is like buying used men's underwear. Just because you can doesn't make it right.

There is one good retailer that might have what your looking for. It's called "You Trash it, We Stash It."

 

Only thing which concerns me is warranty - I dont think there is ANY company which provides third party warranty. I belive the extended warranty that the sellers give on ebay are just for accidents - theft, fire etc, they dont cover breakdown.

 

If you didn't mean to sound like a snob, I'm afraid you missed your mark.

Buying a ThinkPad is a bit like buying a Mercedes -- like a Mercedes compared to many other makes, a ThinkPad lasts longer and holds its value better than other notebooks.

I myself have not bought one used, but I hope that some who have will post something helpful to the original poster.

Chris

 

If you want to go cheaper, the R series is worth a look. They are well built, but not quite as stout as the T.

 

Karl, what are you talking about? Nothing is wrong with buying a used laptop. Laptops last more than a year or two, and many times getting a new one isn't very practical.

Just because you have the highly unreasonable notion that "buying used notebooks is like buying used men's underwear" doesn't mean other people do. In fact, that's the first time I've heard anything similar what you said! Do you buy used cars Karl? Or do you not buy cars that aren't new and 15k+. Oops, 15k is the price for the economy cars! You're a Benz guy and you seem to want to spend 30k+ everytime you need a new car for any purpose whatsoever according to your logic regarding laptops

Are you saying the only people that have the right to own a thinkpad are people willing to put down 1000$+?

I wouldn't use Hyndai or Kia as the benchmark for mediocrity. They're beating out domestics in build quality and materials.

Anyway, capslock I have personally bought a IBM laptop on ebay and I know someone else on this forum that has also. Search vintage review to see the vintage review he did on his ebay thinkpad! He got a great deal and so did I. Just make sure there are pictures of the laptop itself and read the descriptions closely. You should ask questions too to make sure the laptop is in the condition you prefer. The other user on this forum along with me both received great, mint condition laptops for 1/6th of the price it would cost to get the same Thinkpad brand new with recent specs.

I bought a X series to use for browsing the internet and taking notes. Which it's specs are more than good enough to do.

I'd look for a T40 on ebay for sale by a seller that offers a squaretrade warranty. If you pay the extra 30$ you'll get a no questions asked full replacement 3 year warranty.

Looking around ebay I see plenty of cheap 300--600$ T40s with Pentium Ms.

http://cgi.ebay.com/LOADED-IBM-ThinkPad-T40-Centrino-Pentium-M-XP-PRO-1DAY_W0QQitemZ150043167694QQihZ005QQcategoryZ140083QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
If you see at the very bottom of this auction the user has a little square trade logo. Which means he'll offer you the warranty upon purchase. But, don't take my word on an expensive purchase. Message the seller yourself to confirm everything first.

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-ThinkPad-T40-2373-14U-Notebook-SWIZZLE_W0QQitemZ190036559862QQihZ009QQcategoryZ140083QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Heres a buy it now auction so that you don't have to mess with bidding. Since you don't care about CPU, a cheap 400$ buy it now 1.3MHz Pentium M should be more than enough. If I can go day to day pleasantly using a 800 MHz for typical producitivty tasks that should be more than enough unless you plan on running some really processor intensive programs.

Good luck finding one! Save yourself alot of money and don't care what anyone says about only buying new laptops.

 

I'll second what they guy above me said, I bought a used T41p off of eBay (from thinkpadworld) with a 3 year warranty and I've been very happy with it. My HDD died about 3 weeks after I got it, and IBM had a tech at my house with a new drive the day after they put the service request through.

 

I bought a used X30 on Ebay for $300 shipped, a 256MB RAM for $30, and a 3Com A/B/G Xjack wireless card for $60.

The battery lasts surprisingly long for something that's four years old. I get about 3 hours of use with the lowest brightness setting.

With 512MB of total RAM and a 1.2Ghz Pentium III-M processor, this notebook is more than enough for a college student like myself. This has probably been the best invest I've made for college.

Also, I'd like to mention that Thinkpads probably have the best laptop keyboards in the world. I thought it was all hype at first, but after experiencing it for myself, I'm a firm believer now.

 

Thanks for the replies.

 

You might consider buying a used thinkpad from a longtime reputable member of one of the thinkpad/notebook forums. They are good buys from motivated sellers with established reputations.