How to Purchase a used Mac?

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I am in the process of buying a used White MacAir for my elderly mom.

I usually purchase all my electronics from a store, but am getting this one from an individual. So my question is ?
What do I kick under the hood to see if it is operating correctly?

The mac will be operating and using wifi when I view it this morning. But How will I know if it has been refurbished?

I guess this is silly to buy from an unknown, but saving a few hundred. Is the risk worth it?
Thanks
 

Raz0rEdge

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Welcome to Mac-Forums

The serial number itself will not tell you if a Mac is refurbished or not. So do ask if the current owner purchased it new or refurbished. Check for the overall quality of the case. Having the original boxes and any media it came with is great for resale in the future if it comes to that..

Lastly, depending on your exposure to Macs, you might want to do a few quick tests of opening/closing applications and based on the specs of the MacAir, see if it behaves decently.

Also, you want to make sure that there's a fresh install of OS X on the MBA. You don't want anything stale/personal from the current owner should you decide to purchase it..

Also, based on how much cheaper you are potentially going to get this MBA for, you should visit the Apple Refurb store and see what the prices there look like..
 
OP
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MacBook 2.4Ghz, 2 GB memory, MacAir 1.8 GHz, 4 GB memory, Apple Air, Ipad 3 gen, Airport Express
Welcome to Mac-Forums

The serial number itself will not tell you if a Mac is refurbished or not. So do ask if the current owner purchased it new or refurbished. Check for the overall quality of the case. Having the original boxes and any media it came with is great for resale in the future if it comes to that..

Lastly, depending on your exposure to Macs, you might want to do a few quick tests of opening/closing applications and based on the specs of the MacAir, see if it behaves decently.

Also, you want to make sure that there's a fresh install of OS X on the MBA. You don't want anything stale/personal from the current owner should you decide to purchase it..

Also, based on how much cheaper you are potentially going to get this MBA for, you should visit the Apple Refurb store and see what the prices there look like..

Thank you so much for that information .... I am now armed for the inspection...
 
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Just a heads up and clarification. The MacBook Airs only came in one color, aluminum. If it is a white MacBook, then it is an older MacBook, and not a MacBook Air.
 

pigoo3

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I am in the process of buying a used White MacAir for my elderly mom.

I just wanted to mention that there is no such thing as a "White MacAir". If it's white, a laptop, and made by Apple...then it's a MacBook.:)

- Nick
 
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Also, if it came with Snow Leopard(OSX 10.6.x) installed, rather than Lion(10.7) or Mountain Lio(10.8), make sure it comes with the original install discs.
 

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