05-18-2009, 08:38 PM

First of all, let me say that I know absolutely NOTHING about Macs of any kind.

I'm in desperate need of a Macbook. I have a budget of roughly $500 - $600.

My requirements are that it must work, have a minimum 1gb of ram and an OS of 10.5 leopard. The closer to $500 it is, the more open I will be to paying for an OS upgrade.

I've been watching ebay, craiglist, and recently thought of checking the "for sale" forums on the busiest mac forums. There are some opportunities out there, but I'm curious to see if there are other avenues out there that you guys are aware of.

Anything other avenues I'm missing? Does anyone know of any macbooks out there that meet this criteria?

Thanks in advance!

05-18-2009, 10:25 PM

Nope. Almost impossible. Sure, a used one on craiglist that is beat up perhaps, but if you're looking for a new machine or a refurbished computer, your best bet is apple.

The cheapest Apple price on a MacBook is $999.

There are PowerBooks, but they are non-intel machines that you can't upgrade to SL (Snow Leopard). Plus, I'm pretty sure that you can't have 1GB of ram in those.

05-18-2009, 11:04 PM

A 1.5 ghz Powerbook would have no problem running leopard and be upgraded to 2 gb of ram. Check ebay. $500 is reasonable.

05-18-2009, 11:16 PM

Yeah. I got a titanium for $350 or so.

05-19-2009, 09:22 AM

i was you about 2 months ago when i was searching and searching for a "cheap" mac, cuz that was all i could afford and i was intrigued by them. Anyways, someone else and I got scammed by this dude on here selling a white macbook for $600. it seemed very legit- thankgod i got my money back. I used paypal, but they only gave me 38$ back lol, so I had to go through my credit card company. My point? Don't let the "WOW- thats an unbeatable deal" part of your mind get the best of you. **IF it's too good to be to true- it ALMOST ALWAYS IS. Mac's are great machines and they hold value well. If i were u, id search ebay for a used one in good condition. They are there, u just have to do ur dirty work.

05-19-2009, 09:51 AM

Originally Posted by AkshunJebus

First of all, let me say that I know absolutely NOTHING about Macs of any kind.

I'm in desperate need of a Macbook. I have a budget of roughly $500 - $600.

My requirements are that it must work, have a minimum 1gb of ram and an OS of 10.5 leopard. The closer to $500 it is, the more open I will be to paying for an OS upgrade.

It is certainly possible to get a MacBook with those specs at that price.
You will probably end up with one of the original first edition MacBooks, but there's nothing wrong with that.
An original MacBook should sell for around $400, so a budget of $500-$600 is very realistic.

05-19-2009, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by AkshunJebus

First of all, let me say that I know absolutely NOTHING about Macs of any kind.

I'm in desperate need of a Macbook. I have a budget of roughly $500 - $600.

I'm still trying to figure out how someone "desperately" needs something they know "nothing" about.

05-19-2009, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by MarkY

I'm still trying to figure out how someone "desperately" needs something they know "nothing" about.

good point

I agree with D3v1L80Y. You should be able to get one in that price range. However, most Mac owners think they're computer is worth way more than it is actually worth and often they're able to find a sucker to pay it.

The Mac2Sell website appears to me to have very legitimate and reasonable prices listed for used equipment, both for the seller and buyer. As a buyer, I'd strongly encourage using their pricing at least as a guideline in the purchase decision.

The latest laugh I've seen on craigslist here was someone wanting $1300 for a 6 yr old Mac and a 20" monitor - together worth maybe $200-250.
Don't allow reasonableness fall by the wayside in your excitement at the prospect of a new toy.

05-19-2009, 11:44 AM

I bought a black Macbook for $600. It was a friend-friend deal, but hey, it is out there! Just keep searching.

EDIT: Refurbished MacBooks!

White Macbook for $594.00. What a steal! A great computer for a switcher.

05-19-2009, 08:45 PM

As my first post, I will say yes you can, but it is hard to find a GOOD deal on a used MacBook. I got mine off Craigslist for 600. Mine is a late 2007 Model with a Intel C2D cpu. Good luck in your search.

John

05-19-2009, 09:21 PM

Thanks for all the replies and encouragement everyone. There are a couple links in here for me to check out also.

I really appreciate the input... and my search continues!

05-19-2009, 10:57 PM

i recently purchased a white macbook 2.0GHz Dual Core 2 (Late 2007) for $400 on my local craigslist with absolutely nothing wrong with it.

i see them all the time for around this price but you just have to look and know how to negotiate.