Vaio outlet Z14 still a good deal ?

I'm currently consider buying vaio VPCZ14 from sony outlet, and I wonder whether this is a good deal or not.
Also, will there be any problem since this is already and old model ? such as part shortage when claiming for a warranty . The site say they cover 3 year warranty thought.


below is the price and the specification of the product.

--------------------------
Vaio VPCZ14 = 2230 dollar
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Core i7-640M
13.1 inch fullHD 1920×1080 display
8GB ram
Quad SSD 256 GB
DVD multidrive
--------------------------

 

I am quite sure when they got no parts any more in a warranty case, you get refunded at least.

 

Are the dollars you quote US dollars? If not, and you are not in the US, everything I say below is WRONG. I would need to know what country/currency you're using. It's not just a currency translation, but these sell for radically different prices in different countries.

If this is a US or Canadian purchase, read on:

Is this a new "clearance" sale, or a refurbished computer? If the latter, $2,230 is quite a bit too high for a
Z1. If it is new, well, it's still a very high price for last year's model, good as that model is. For example, I recently bought a new one on eBay that had same specs except the 900p screen, and had full new Sony wttty, and I paid $1,055 for it. That was a steal, but I can't see paying that much for a Z1 unless it was:

1) new
2) 512GB SSD
3) WWAN-equipped
4) Blu Ray reader
5) Carbon Fiber

The maximum price for the config. you describe is:

New - $1,600
Refurb - $1,400
Used, in excellent condition, very reputable seller - $1,200.

 

Thank you for the reply.
Actually that is from Japan Sony store outlet, and I think it is a new one.
The actual price is 173000 yen.

 

The Outlet section in Sony Store Japan is for brand-new past models on clearance and it still accepts CTO, so it's not equivalent to the Outlet in US Sony Store. There is no refurb. in Japan's outlet. On the other hand, the pricing is also not exactly what you would expect in an outlet store.

 

Well, that does change my response entirely! You really need to check locally to see if these are good prices. I don't know if there is a VAT in Japan and if it is included in the price. I would expect it to cost less to buy Sony Japanese-made products in Japan, but apparently not.

Curious: how much does a roughly equivalent Z2 cost from Sony Japan? The configuration you are looking at, adjusted for Second Gen Intel cpus, etc, can be purchased for around $2,000 US, but costs over $3,000 direct from Sony.

 

I believe that , for Z2 in japan sony store, the price is almost the same as usa sony store.

--------------------------------------
Vaio Z2 202,800Yen configuration
--------------------------------------
Core i7 2420M
DVD super media dock
8GB ram
13.1 full HD 1920x1080
SSD Raid 256 GB
--------------------------------------

choosing i5 2520m reduce 7000 yen from price above
choosing bluray docking drive will add 7000 yen

compare to the VPCZ14, it is obviously a bit more powerful with i7 2520m
but that also come with 30000 yen price different.

Z2 is a great machine with great portability, but I hate that media dock concept...

May be I should buy Z14 from ebay consider the price?
but then I fear about warranty issue...

 

Would you be buying/using a Japanese language version or English/US? I know it's easy to change character set in software, but not so the physical keys. The reason I ask is that if you are talking about buying from eBay US, you will save a lot of money - though the freight forwarding can be tricky and add cost, and some sellers refuse to ship internationally. As far as wtty goes, again it's a country issue; in US, if you buy new in box or "open box" but new, never registered, you get the full Sony wtty (here, 1 yr). So, once again I hesitate to advise you depending on the answers to these questions.

I too hate the idea of the PMD with the Z2 and have resisted buying one - until this week! I'm not sure I have any good reason for doing this, but here are my main reasons:

1) So much faster, not just Second Gen. Sandy Bridge cpus, but new, SATA III 6gb/s SSDs

2) Battery life: sounds like a true 4-6 with internal battery, about double with sheet, which only brings weight up to 3.6 lbs. Z1 gets more like 3-4 std batt, 5-7 extended batt; weight w/extended batt = 4.1 lbs.

3) Much better integrated graphics; if not a gamer (I'm not), you can pretty much keep the PMD in the box - at least that's what I'm going to do. I already own external BD/DVD drive.

Unfortunately, too many negatives, compared to Z1:
1) No internal discrete gpu or DVD. I value the latter, gamers would value the former as well.
2) only 2 USB ports
3) no ExpressCard slot (big negative)
4) very short stoke keyboard - but you do get used to it; badly located touchpad with no buttons.
5) Fixed RAM/SSD; not user upgradeable. Also, due to lack of internal DVD drive, no option to add second storage drive, HDD or SSD.

For these reasons I have resisted buying the Z2, particularly the sense that I have to be wasting a lot of money if I will never use the PMD, (in US you can't buy a Z2 without it.) Plus, the Z1 has so much more flexibility built in.

But I do love speedy computers and really value long battery life so I am buying the Z2 but keeping my Z1 and we'll see which I use more. I try to always buy for a low enough price that I can re-sell it without losing a lot (or any!) of money.

Well, good luck to you. Look forward to your thoughts and comments.

 

I actually don't mind US or JPN physical keyboard since I had experienced both.
for the speed issue, I do play MW3 and other FPS games, but I'm not the type that complain about graphics, as long as framerate is high then all is ok.

The problem is that I do need dvd drive from time to time, taking the PMD with me everywhere is no different from having other machine with integrate dvd drive. Except that it is more harassing.

I believe that I should not be hasty here. Last time I was hasty and bought Lenovo Y560 i7, in which I regret. It is blazing fast but the screen itself is a piece of junk, too many problem with driver compatability, battery only runs for 1 hour, and It is consider a little bulky too.

If only SA series have a good screen as in the Z series I would go for it right now...

Maybe patience is the key here...

by the way, thank you for your comments lovelaptops. Your comments were really useful.

 

Funny, I've just come to the same decision regarding the purchase of a new Z2! I realized I was rushing into it and getting the wrong model for too much money. For now, the Z1 serves very nicely. If I can be on any help if you want to buy a Z1 on eBay US, don't hesitate to ask. Also, see PM I sent you.

 

Not to undercut lovelaptop, but just keep in mind the somewhat outrageous Sony Japan Outlet price includes 3-yr warranty. Could be useful if you are going to be in Japan for a while.

Purchasing from Japan used to be a good option to get special configurations you can't find in US when USD:JPY was like 1:100+, but at 1:78 now it's very rarely a good proposition.

 

Skyshade is right: the 3 year warranty is worth paying extra for, but I would say about $250 extra, since that is what Sony charges in US for extended wtty with ADH - something in that range.

@skyshade: I did not feel "undercut" by your suggestion; idea is to get the person the best info. Still, nice to hear such civility - you're a class act.