Buying a laptop off of craigslist

[alphatarget1]

Meeting someone to pay cash possibly? I'm looking to buy a Dell Latitude with a core 2 duo processor for about 600 dollars. Should be doable. What do y'all think? Is there another way to spend 600 dollars on a laptop?

 

[alphatarget1]

http://houston.craigslist.org/sys/829830179.html

This is the one I'm looking at.

 

[Gigantopithecus]

That D620 probably shipped with a 3 year warranty less than 3 years ago. Have them transfer it to you; it's relatively simple. http://support.dell.com/suppor...&l=en&s=dfb&redirect=1

 

[ed21x]

turn it on, check for dead pixels, if possible, run scandisk once and make sure the system survives through the entire process without crashing. when all is good, lay down the $500

 

[IlllI]

yes. make sure it actually works. turn it on, test it out etc

 

[aceO07]

Meet at local coffee shop, don't bring the cash, check out the laptop and then go to bank for the cash if everything checks out.

1. Check the screen for bad pixels, dark/light areas, scratches/marks and make sure the screen hinge is good.
2. Make sure all the buttons work.
3. Make sure the ac adapter works and the battery charges. Check to see how much capacity is left in battery. It'll cost you to replace it.
4. Check the specs against what is actually on the laptop. I once tried to buy a laptop and after confirming all the specs through email, I noticed that one thing wasn't as stated. Deal breaker and waste of my time. Print out the specs and bring it along and use it as a checklist.

 

[Juked07]

Originally posted by: aceO07
Meet at local coffee shop, don't bring the cash, check out the laptop and then go to bank for the cash if everything checks out.

1. Check the screen for bad pixels, dark/light areas, scratches/marks and make sure the screen hinge is good.
2. Make sure all the buttons work.
3. Make sure the ac adapter works and the battery charges. Check to see how much capacity is left in battery. It'll cost you to replace it.
4. Check the specs against what is actually on the laptop. I once tried to buy a laptop and after confirming all the specs through email, I noticed that one thing wasn't as stated. Deal breaker and waste of my time. Print out the specs and bring it along and use it as a checklist.

This may be overkill.. $500 isn't overly much to have on you in a safe environment like a coffee shop.

 

[aceO07]

Originally posted by: Juked07

Originally posted by: aceO07
Meet at local coffee shop, don't bring the cash, check out the laptop and then go to bank for the cash if everything checks out.

1. Check the screen for bad pixels, dark/light areas, scratches/marks and make sure the screen hinge is good.
2. Make sure all the buttons work.
3. Make sure the ac adapter works and the battery charges. Check to see how much capacity is left in battery. It'll cost you to replace it.
4. Check the specs against what is actually on the laptop. I once tried to buy a laptop and after confirming all the specs through email, I noticed that one thing wasn't as stated. Deal breaker and waste of my time. Print out the specs and bring it along and use it as a checklist.

This may be overkill.. $500 isn't overly much to have on you in a safe environment like a coffee shop.

It might not be so safe if you leave and still have that $500 in your pockets. Or during the trek to the coffee shop.

It also helps if you're an impulse buyer. It gives you time to truly think about if you want the laptop after you've seen it in person. Or maybe you don't truly want it, but you've already invested the time and effort AND you have the cash in hand...