Buying a used Macbook on Ebay- thoughts?

I've posted in other subforums looking for an iPad, but have decided that a laptop would be better suited to my needs. While on eBay I came across this listing:

Apple Macbook 1.83ghz 2GB 320GB WiFi Bootcamp Win 7 13"

Usually I wouldn't look twice at it, but the price is decent and it's set up to run OSX, Windows &, and XP, which would be great. What are your thoughts? I'd like to use for at most 3-4 more years for grad school. My other option is a new HP DM1Z, which has great reviews, but I love OSX, so it'd be great to have options.

Unless you're a well seasoned eBay buyer, stay away from purchasing there. My advice is if you're looking to save money on a MacBook or MacBook Pro, to buy a refurbished model direct from Apple. Their refurbished models are like new and come with a full Apple warranty.

Also, the machine from eBay that you linked to is an older model (2006) which can not run the latest Apple OS X (Lion) since it's a Core Duo. And the price is around $100 too high for that old a model. You can buy a Core 2 Duo 2008 model for around $450.

I'd like to use for at most 3-4 more years for grad school

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Personally, I wouldn't be looking at the MB for use for the next 3-4 years. They seem to be a thing of the past (discontinued)...I would look to either save up for a refurb like chsag said, or purchase something else that is a little bit more future oriented (ex. new Windows based laptop)

Give it a miss.

It is now over five years old and that warning the case shows 'considerable signs of wear' and 'scuffing' is a no-no.

Yep. I'd agree that a worn case on any laptop shows signs of a hard life of use and perhaps abuse. There's plenty out there which have done nothing but sat on a desk for past few years, so mechanically they'll be in much better condition.

Looks ok to me. Read the sellers reviews. Nothing wrong with older core duo macs. I am still using my 5 year old macbook. I would look for an original owner selling one that has all the original software. As long as you can change a hard drive the older intel macs are still good.

Except that Lion will not install on them and they are now old bombs. Go through the threads and read about optical drive and hard drive failures.

harryb2448 said:

Except that Lion will not install on them and they are now old bombs. Go through the threads and read about optical drive and hard drive failures.

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Who needs lion? Hard drives are easy to replace and external drives can be used if needed. My 5 year old mac will run any program that a brand new mac can run just fine.

Some people just don't have the dollars to buy a new machine. A new one would be nice, but a used one will work.

Also they seem to have a common fault with the battery not charging, changing the battery doesn't always fix the issue and it can be an expensive repair.

I have the same issue with mine not managed to fix it yet.

The seller has a good rating, and seems to have done an honest job of testing the machine, so as far as buying used goes, this is about as safe as it gets. A couple things to bear in mind though… it comes with NO install discs. If the drive goes belly-up, you have nothing to reinstall from. And the OEM discs that the Mac would have shipped with are always recommended to have handy because only those have the Apple Hardware Test available for some troubleshooting needs.

One other thing that bothers me. The charger shown in the photo does not appear to be correct for that MacBook. If I am not mistaken, that MacBook has a MagSafe connector, and the charger does not.

EDIT: I'm inclined to agree on the pricing also. It's a bit high.

Have you thought about buying a refurbished one from apple? Even if it's more expensive it's probably a better idea.

Refurbished MacBook 2.4GHz Intel Core 2 Duo - Apple Store (U.S.)

Macbook 13 inch 2.4 ghz core 2 duo processor

850$ Refurbished

or get a pc and run mac os x through a virtual machine which doesn't work as well as nativity but hey it still works

or get a pc and run mac os x through a virtual machine which doesn't work as well as nativity but hey it still works

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You can not legally run Mac OS X on anything but a genuine Mac. And we do not talk about illegal activities in these forums. Plus the fact that OS X will not install or run in a VM on a PC without first doing a "Hackintosh" which violates US DRM.

Buyer beware

Lots of fraud on Ebay.

Ebay Computers

I sell on Ebay and try hard to give the consumer a good product at a good value. I dismantle each one and clean the fans and motherboards. Of course, I can tell if someone has been in it before and visually look for any damage or potential problems. When I find an issue I repair it. If need be I report it to the bidder. I test the hardware with off the shelf utilities. I then install a drive that has been tested and approved. If the CD is making noise or could be a problem I replace it. I want happy customers. I do not have time for angry customers and Ebay has strict over site on their venders. If the vender has a good history you can buy with confidence. Since I have examined and tested the machine you have a good idea of what you get. I do not want an email saying "the item is not as represented" from the customer. It is hard to make a dollar and the market and Ebay make sure that crooks don't stay around long. Yes, you are taking a chance but then again you save almost half on some models. It may allow you to get a much newer model. A five year old computer can still work fine and serve 75% of the people well. Do we really need all the computing power that a quad core has if you are not a professional user? If you are still concerned the Apple refurbished units are hard to beat but a used Ebay unit can still be almost half the price. Know your seller!

Buy the Windows PC. It is better then any Mac you are looking at, old or new.

An Operating system is an inanimate object. Take Love out of the picture. Put in functionality.