Where do you buy cheap laptops? I'm looking for a basic laptop - word processing and internet is really all I need. What could I expect to pay for something like this? Thanks for any suggestions.
In the UK PC world is probably your best bet. Comet used to be even better and during the closing sale I managed to get a very basic 10.1" notebook for £129! PC world will so them for under £200 usually. Even a small 13" laptop should only cost you around £249. Tesco also do some laptops, but never as cheap as PC world.
I have bought cheap laptops from Walmart, Best Buy and Amazon. The truth is, it does not matter where you buy it. Cheap laptops are cheap for a reason. Many of them are models with a factory defect. They won't tell you that when you are shopping for them. The last cheap laptop I bought had the USB ports put in upside down. That makes them break, so within a year there were no USB ports. You have to double check and research cheap laptops because you want to make sure it is not cheap because it has a defect.
Try checking out Google Chromebook, although that would necessitate being online before you can use it. I think it's technically just a web browser wherein you can use web apps, and you can't ever install any offline programs for it. It's not really for most people, but some people seem to find it practical enough since it is still relatively cheaper than most other brands - especially if you consider that it has a good build. If that is not your thing, however, I would recommend a good Lenovo laptop. It's one of my favorite budget brands, I find them very durable.
I bought a used IBM Thinkpad at a garage sale for $10 for basically the same reasons as you (internet, word processing, music). If you're not in a hurry, check Craigslist and yard sales for used equipment. If you want something new and cheap, Amazon and Ebay are probably your best bets, unless you need it right now, which would make WalMart the most likely place to get the most for your dollar.
I would recommend a chromebook. I have seen them going for just over 200 dollars and so that is not so bad and there are some second hand ones now available at an even cheaper price than that and so i think that they would be worth it and give you what you are looking for.
I would say eBay and nomoreracks.com has some good cheat laptops for sale. I purchase my dell laptop form eBay i actually had to bid on it by I won it for 100.00 and I also won one for my kids for 60.00. I would recommend that if you want a really good deal to due the auction part of eBay and wait til almost the last 10 mins and start to bid. But if your in a really hurry to get one narrow your search down to the lowest ones first and buy now option.
