When purchasing a computer always keep in mind that you can more than likely get that same computer for a couple hundred dollars less if you buy it used or refurbished. The only problem with getting a used computer is you're going to have to worry about virus's and whatnot, be sure to buy locally when buying used if they are not a licensed retailer. You could also buy a quality refurbished computer online, personally I've had great experience with Cheetahdeals.com for buying refurbished computers and overall they have pretty good ratings. If you're worried about virus's, malware, spyware, lack of warranty than your best bet is going to be buying a new computer. Every now and again you can find pretty good discounts through the computer manufacturer, so if you're patient you can still probably get a good deal on a computer. Hope this helps, Aloha Jasper G.
Here's my two cents: it may save you money in the short-term, but definitely not in the long-term, at least that's my experience and belief. A used or refurbished computer will most likely have those viruses you mentioned, some data will be used, it will have different issues and most likely not maintained very well. However, if you have a brand new one, you will have the opportunity to look after it the best you can and make it last long. I've stated several times on this forum that my computer turned four this year and it operates like it's only a few months old.
Yeah I agree with you, we did have a refurbished pc years ago, and it always had some hardware issues. The monitor also stopped working after 3 years. And if you compare it with the brand new ones that we bought, the brand new ones did not have any issues at all. So it's really better if you would just save your money and just buy a brand new pc or laptop. It will save you the trouble of having it constantly repaired.
I would never buy refurbished/used electronic items such as laptop, phones or even electronic appliances. That would mean getting an item that might be near it's end of life. It would cost me more by replacing that if it suddenly died after just a couple of months (if that's lucky enough).
For this type of things, when it comes to electronics i always buy new. Of course i research a lot, wait for sales and use coupons to get the best deal, but i always get new. You get a brand new piece of technology, which is a whole different feeling than buying used, you have new warranty if something turns bad and it will live for much longer because you were the only one taking care of it.
Yeah, definitely don't buy refurbished they always end up not working again. I thought about buying one when my laptop broke, it was either get fixed which would cost just as much or buy a new with no problems or get refurbished. After seeing a new computer at the same price and after looking at reviews I knew it wasn't worth it.
If you are going to buy something refurbished, make sure that it is factory refurbished or else you will be regretting in future. I have bought something refurbished a Macbook to be exact and it is still great. I am still using the laptop now.
I don't know if I would feel comfortable buying refurbished electronics. I think they would be prone to problems. You never know what exactly is new and what exactly is old. In my opinion I would say a hundred or two extra dollars is not worth the risk. If it's something that is pretty cheap or easily replaceable then I might do it. EDIT: I just remembered I actually bought a refurbished receiver for a bargain. Have not had any problems with it so far. I can't believe I didn't remember that before haha.
I agree, but for me I think you really have to be careful when doing this because some refurbishes are less trustworthy than others. For me I'd only ever trust it if it were an official refurbish from the brand itself or if it were done by a store that was reputable enough. Sometimes I'd probably give in to individual sellers or smaller stores if the item were cheap enough or not too much of a priority or essential to my day to say life, but for the most part I do tend to be assured as much as possible before I make a purchase.
As far as computers devices go, I'm more about buying brand new if I have the money. I'm not totally against second hand, refurbished products. But like mikelouis suggested, I'd sooner go with factory refurbished items, which do often have a warranty of some sort. I once bought a reconditioned Samsung microwave which lasted me a good 10 years. I then moved countries and gave it to someone, and I wouldn't be surprised if it worked ok. To look at it, you wouldn't have thought it was second hand!
I'd have to agree with buying factory refurbished items rather than buying used products from unknown sources or sites. At least, when you buy at Apple for their refurbished products, you are quite sure of its quality and you still have some warranty under it. But when you buy from online sites, these used products can end up being very low quality or damaged and you won't have any warranty to have them replaced.
