Help! Buying macbook off craigslist/ is it worth it?

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hi im looking into buying a macbook off craigslist. os x is 10.5.8. its 300 bucks but heres the catch, this thing got water spilled on it 3 years ago, it doesnt work unless its plugged in, it doesnt hold a charge, so essentially its a desktop computer, im intrested in buying this because i think that its fixable, she said it was fixable and apple quoted it as being around 600 3 years ago, is it still 600? the computer works perfectly fine as long as its plugged into the power chord, if it comes unplugged it shuts off and you can loose your work...should i buy this computer? is it a good deal without having to put a fortune into it? help!
 

chscag

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Water spill? Not only no, but an emphatic no! Find another MacBook. Unless the guy let's you have it for $100 or cheaper, stay away from it. And yes it will cost just as much today to repair it as it would have 3 years ago. Parts may be more scarce now.
 
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another craigslist question

what is a good price for a craigslist macbook? say 3-5 years old in perfect running order? can it be updated to lion?
 
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I was just looking for a MacBook on craigslist. Great prices I saw were $450. I ended up getting an '09 that had a little defect on the bottom of the screen for $320. Nbd and still works great. Look around and see what you can find.

As far as I know they can be upgraded to Lion, someone please correct me if I'm wrong
 

pigoo3

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what is a good price for a craigslist macbook? say 3-5 years old in perfect running order? can it be updated to lion?

Great price...$350
Good price...$400
OK price...$450
Over $500...nah.;)

Kind of depends on the exact specs as well. As far as Lion...Yes...as long as it has a Core 2 Duo cpu. The older MacBooks (5 years old)...had a Core Duo cpu.

- Nick
 
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what is a good price for a craigslist macbook? say 3-5 years old in perfect running order? can it be updated to lion?

As far as I know they can be upgraded to Lion, someone please correct me if I'm wrong
As long as it is an intel based mac with a core2duo processor you should be able to install Lion...but it may be too slow for older machines.

As far as the price, I agree with the above poster. a 3-5 year old mac shouldn't cost any more than $400-$450 if it still has original components. If the RAM and/or hard drive is upgraded then they could charge another $50 or so.
 

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