Thinkpads Forum

I bought a T40p on ebay 18 months ago refurbished for $1140, including shipping. The computer came with a 1 year ez-serv warranty. In that time, the LCD died. We DHL'ed the machine to them, and it came back 2 days later with a new LCD. Also, 3 times, our toddler broke the keyboard, and they sent us a new one without requiring us to send them the computer.

I really want to buy another thinkpad with a warranty that good. Basically, I just need another T40P. The problem is that the same ebay seller is now only offering Mack warranties with their refubished thinkpad. I also hear that the EZ-serv warranty is not as good as it used to be.

I was hoping to get the same laptop for even less money now that it's 18 months later. Does anyone have a suggestion? Do other manufacturers, like maybe apple, offer great warranties? What Thinkpad can I get for $700 with a good warranty? Can anyone recommend a seller?

Thanks!

Hey welcome to the Forums - Glad you can make it. You will find it a wealth of information. Although 1140 seems high you have utilized the EZ Serve warranty with great success as expected. This forum will have postings with new or excellent condition TP's with remaining warranties. I would advise to check here often. Alot of forum readers have varied success with a multitude of vendors. I personally would only buy here, IBM directly or euclid computers. Depending on what you are looking for IBM Certified used may be a finincial option for your budget. I was a long time mac user but not "business accepted" like Thinkpads.

Again welcome to the forums and good luck with your purchase.

swiftrhett wrote:What Thinkpad can I get for $700 with a good warranty?

Several times a year, Lenovo has huge sales during which some brand new R-series models dip below $700. There was one such sale last month, and the one before that was in December I think. You may want to wait for the next such opportunity. Also check the Lenovo Outlet every once in a while. That's where they get rid of recently discontinued models for cheap. Right now they only have a fantastic (but >>>$700) T60, so check again a few weeks later.

Is it ok to buy a used thinkpad that still has an on-site warranty left? People seem to claim that the warranty will transfer over fine, and on-site appears to be better than ez-serv.

Yes. The warranty follows the machine, not the owner.
You can also extend the warranty before it expires.

IBM sells used ThinkPads, even T60's. They always have some warranty on them.

Does anyone here know if those can be extended?

whizkid wrote:Does anyone here know if those can be extended?

Yes.

Sometimes you can find well priced new R or Z-series with warranties.

Here a well-equipped new Z60t for under $700 - http://tinyurl.com/2t6uyg

Here is a sweet deal on the Austin Craigslist:
http://austin.craigslist.org/sys/306751921.html (A used T43 for $750, laptop looks good with nice specs, and is under warranty till Sep. 2008)

http://austin.craigslist.org/sys/288432903.html (A new R60 for $560)

You can go see them and decide ...

ps: edited price of the T43 listing ... the ad also mentions a T41 and T40 for $450 ... I got them mixed.

The first 1 is priced at $750. The second one is most likely a to be scam since there is no location posted.

coolname1 wrote:The first 1 is priced at $750. The second one is most likely a to be scam since there is no location posted.

Oops, sorry for typo, will edit my post.

You are right, 2nd one might be a scam.

Now that I've been thinking about it longer, and I really have no idea what kind of thinkpad I want to get. Part of me wants to get a power machine that runs vista.

This thread answered a lot of my questions about the thinkpad aftermarket though. I guess now, I just need to use the other forum areas to figure out what machine I want. Thanks everyone!

gator wrote:

whizkid wrote:Does anyone here know if those can be extended?

Yes.

Refurbed Thinkpads from Lenovo are not eligible for warranty extensions.

You can purchase after warranty coverage for one, but you can't extend the (usually) 60 day warranty they come with.

James

JHEM wrote: You can purchase after warranty coverage for one, but you can't extend the (usually) 60 day warranty they come with.

James

can you clarify this? what do you mean by 'after coverage'?

alfio