<p>Not for us, but S's GF is in need. She thought she was going to get more loan than she did and now is without $$$ to purchase a laptop. Her family cannot afford a new one on their own. I feel terrible. :( To me, a laptop in college is essential (or even a desktop at the least). </p>
<p>I want to help her in some way. Can you share any websites, stores, avenues you have had luck with in securing used computers? I've checked our local Craigslist and currently don't see anything that would work. </p>
<p>We have bought used Apple laptops in ebay. Since ebay has a “rate the seller” feature it is easy to see which have 100% ratings.</p>
<p>We have had good luck with this.</p>
<p>If the laptop is not too old it may still be on warranty, and then Apple allows extending the warranty care with a purchased program, Apple Care.</p>
<p>Of course, the more the purchaser knows, the better the result, so it would be best if someone with some experience advises on the purchase.</p>
<p>Dell has an outlet section on their home page. I have bought several laptops from their “scratch and dent” category and have never found a single scratch or dent on mine (your mileage may vary). If you check the site regularly you can get a very nice laptop for about $300 there and it carries a full warranty also.</p>
<p>I’ve had good experience with cell phones on eBay. There are a number of sellers who are high volume and provide at least something of a warranty. I would trust a laptop from one of these. Look for a very large number of transactions and a more professional look to the post. They should be very upfront about the condition of the machine and what is included.</p>
<p>I have no idea what price range you want to be in, but for some our kids we purchased laptops at costco and you can pick one up there for under $600 that does the basic functions, excel, word, outlook, etc, but if she is a gamer it may not work.</p>
<p>Nothing against Apple, we have a few also, but if you are going for cheap laptop, Apple is not the ones to get even for refurbished one.</p>
<p>I normally follow fatwallet.com or slickdeals.net, there are good laptop deals that people spot almost everyday. For example right now if you are closed to any MicroCenter you can get the following for $279. These are websites that consolidate deals that people find.</p>
<p>Also another option, is to get a netbook. You can get a decent netbook for less than $300. You can download OpenOffice and get by with using it for writing papers, surfing, doing emails, and even skype with the parents with the builtin webcam and microphone. It won’t play any decent game or maybe watching youtube would be a little choppy but it is better than nothing. For example:</p>
<p>I think it’s a function of “need” and money. IMO few college students “need” a laptop but many/most “need” some access to their own computer. Some “need” more power and features than others. Determine what this student’s needs are and spend just as little as you have to spend. </p>
<p>IMO, for the barest of budgets ($100) that may be for most kids a 4 year old desktop from craigslist that you (or better yet, your teenage friend- the computer geek) get to try out before you buy. Or for a little more, a similar laptop. Not fancy, but it will get you on the 'net and write your papers. </p>
<p>This message has been typed on a 4 year old Dell laptop (inherited from my D) whose power port is cracked so I have hold the wire just exactly * so* to get the battery to charge. $200 to fix? I don’t think I’ll be doing that. I’ll just keep jiggling the cord a while longer. ;)</p>
<p>I’ve purchased several refurb desktops and notebooks from Dell with no problems but you have to know what the relative reliability of the individual systems are. Some product lines are prone to problems.</p>
<p>You might try your family and friends networks. Many families have people (like me) that collect computers and will just give one to a relative, even a distant one, upon request.</p>
<p>Here is an example of one I found that comes to $303 plus free shipping. Also includes full warranty. In my opinion you will be hard pressed to find a better deal (though I don’t really know what your budget is). This laptop will do just about anything a college student would need unless they are into heavy CAD engineering type work.</p>
<p>Inspiron 15 - 1545 System Details
Inspiron 15 (1545) Laptop: Intel Pentium Dual Core T4500 (2.3 GHz/800MhzFSB/1MB)
Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium250 GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
2 GB DDR2 SDRAM 800MHz (1 DIMMs)8X DVD +/- RW w/dbl layer write capability
Intel Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator X4500HD</p>
<p>It really depends on what she needs a computer for. If she’s a CS or engineering student she likely ‘needs’ a computer more and it needs to be relatively powerful. If she’s in a major that doesn’t require intensive computing then take a look at new netbooks ($250-$279) or older used notebooks/desktops that she might be able to get from $0 to $250 or so. Craigslist should have plenty - just make sure it’s checked out first. She/you could also check with family/friends to see if they have any ‘old’ computers they’ve replaced and are just taking up space somewhere that they might be willing to part with.</p>
<p>Regarding ‘need’ - I think the student’s life would be a pain without one but most campuses have computers available for student use at different locations and sometimes even for ‘checking out’ for a short period of time so if there’s a real crunch they can get by without one for writing papers, researching the internet, etc. </p>
<p>She should really take a look at the netbooks since they’re low cost and she can still access the internet, write papers, listen to music, FB, IM, Skype, and all that. If she can’t afford the $250 maybe a trusting soul will front her for it with a written promise of a payback (knowing that the payback might not actually happen). With a part time campus (or other) job the $250 will be earned in no time.</p>