Are Refurbished Laptops a Wise Investment?

A friend wants to spend $250 on a refurbished Dell from a company that says it's been in business for 14 years. Would he be wiser to wait until he had the money to buy a new one?
He depends very highly on his computer, and it seems to me that you're taking too many chances buying a used laptop.
His desktop is still quite functional, but he wants to become mobile.
Thanks.

 

Hi JRViejo,
No, I don't know, but I will ask him.
If the specs are high enough, is it as safe an investment as buying a new one ( as safe as that can be nowadays )?

 

Hi Scotcov,A lot of refurbished products does not mean a bad investment.For Example If I purchase a lab top today lets say from a local store And I return it a day later for what ever reason,In the US the law is it could not be sold as new because it has been purchsed once already.So either store sells at a open box price or they return to factory of the maker.At this point the lap top will be inspected to make sure it meets factory specs,Cleaned etc.Then it will be sold as refubished.There are some circumstances of used or refurbished may have small marks scratches scuffs etc,but electronicaly meet new factory specs.Keep in mind your friend needs to compare specs to prices ratio of refurb to a new one.I hope this helps

 

Yes djohn, this does help. I know that scratches won't bother him at all. Thanks for the help also JRViejo. I'll try to get that info (prob tomorrow).

 

Well, the store is an internet based store, and basically the specs for their computers are somewhat like my own Toshiba laptop. Around 2 GHz processor, around 1000 MB of ram, 110 GB hard drive. My machine cost around $800, if I remember correctly (I tried to quickly forget ) . I passed on what you told me, and he feels a little better about doing it.
Thanks, guys.
Scotcov

 

The Acer laptop I bought back in January was recertified. So far the only problem I have had with it is a dead pixel but it is down at the bottom of the screen where the dark Vista taskbar is so it is not that noticeable. I upgraded the RAM from 1GB to 2, added a Bluetooth module, and upgraded from a six cell battery to a nine (get over 4 hours instead of 2 now).

Acer gives the same warranty to it's refurbs as well (one year standard with extended warranty for a price).

 

I'll add my 2 cents here.
I don't think the elctronics wil give him any problem. But I would not expect much life from the HDD. I'm not saying it will be damaged (maybe he is lucky and the hard disk is in perfect conditions). He just need to be prepared in case it fails.
The HDD and the cd/dvd drive, as being the only components with moving parts, are the most likely to fail. And with refurbished you don't know how the previous owner treated the laptop.

 

I agree with HURST.

 

Better yet, reinstall a fresh copy of Windows (assuming that an OS disc is included. I personally use the Anytime Upgrade disc.)

 

My Dell (not refurb), came with a lot of junk installed. They didn't send a XP CD, they just added a recovery partition that reinstalled all their junk. I mailed support and told them that I screwed up the partitions and that the recovery was gone. They sent me a XP CD and a drivers CD. No preinstalled apps.

 

Nice...

 

Great input. I'm going to point him to this thread, and strongly recommend he follow your advice. And it sounds like he definitely ought to go to the manufacturer.
He's is a fanatic about external drive backups, so I don't think he'll worry about HD longevity.
Thanks again!