R500 2717-5GU $450 good buy or not

[thetimerider]

Im looking at a R500-5GU for $450. The seller tells me its upgradable to 8 gig of ram but when i look on the Lenovo site it says max at 4 gigs? He has 4 gigs in it.
The machine is in very good condition i could only find 1 scratch on the top panel.
This machine has Vista business os with the COA on the bottom.
The thinkvantage toolbox shows 372 days of warranty, it would seem that it is less than a yr old, or could it bee older with an extended warranty?

Product: ThinkPad R500 2717-5GU [change]
Operating system: All [change]

Original description: P8400(2.26GHz), 2GB RAM, 160GB 5400rpm HD, 15.4in 1280x800 LCD, Intel X4500HD, CDRW/DVDRW, Intel 802.11agn wireless, Modem, 1Gb Ethernet, UltraNav, Secure chip, Fingerprint Reader, Camera, 6c Li-Ion, WinXP Pro

I see post where owners are very happy with their R500's, would those be comparable to these specs. or much more beefed up than this.

I see R500's for sale from $280. to $1200 why such a price range?
I am unable to find a date of manufature, When did they introduce them. I assume price could have to do with age, and maybe this one is 4 or 5 yrs old.

[ZaZ]

If it's got 372 days of warranty left more likely it came with a three year warranty and is two years old. It's not a bad price, but if you can be patient, I think you can do better. Perhaps $450 isn't set in stone. Make them an offer if you like the machine. The chipset on the R500 supports 16GB of memory. That's more likely the max, but 8GB are just starting to come onto the market.

[lead_org]

it is not a real bargain. I wouldn't buy this for more than 400 dollars. I can get one of these machines in Australia for around 300 to 350 dollars.

[thetimerider]

Yeah at the moment he's firm at $450 but I'm willing to wait and see what happens? May keep looking, the truth is I wasn't looking, just stumbled onto it as it's only a couple of miles from home.
I would like to see some of my other Questions answered, when was r5oo introduced, how can i get a date of manufacture, is this one an average r500 build or more on the lower end?

[ZaZ]

I"d say it's on the lower end of middle. If it were really low end it'd have a Celeron CPU. I don't know how the manufacture date effects things? If you can get the serial number you can look up the warranty status, which should tell you about when the machine shipped.

[thetimerider]

I do have the serial # L3xxxxx but couldnt find anyplace on Lenovo to even input it. It might help me to understand who im buying from and exactly what im getting. Its supposed to be less than a yr. old and came from a freind who never used it. I think he said less than 40 hrs of use.

Maybe none of it matters in the end? Sometimes a machine is just a machine!

Admin edit: Removed serial number.

[ZaZ]

You can do the warranty look up here. I would suggest not posting your serial number online.

[thetimerider]

Thank you for the help, I think i have all the info I need.

[sir_synthsalot]

The R500 was introduced in 2008 I believe. It's built well but very bulky. Likewise I wouldn't pay more than $400.

[thetimerider]

Thank you sir, Ive pretty much decided against buying it but i dont really understand the low used purchase cost of these machines? The seller told me it was a $1700-1800 machine a couple of yrs ago. I payed $200 for my R51 only 6 months ago and its 7yrs old (mint condition).
I still dont see R51's for less than that know?

[RealBlackStuff]

How about a much better R52 for $95.- incl. shipping?
See The Board Room in my sig.

[pianowizard]

i dont really understand the low used purchase cost of these machines?

On the average, a new laptop loses 40% of its value in its first year, and another 40% in its second year. Starting with the third year, the depreciation rate becomes 20% per year.

The seller told me it was a $1700-1800 machine a couple of yrs ago.

I bet that's the list price for this laptop. With sales and coupons, a $1,700 Thinkpad can often be had for around $1,200 through the Lenovo web site.

[ZaZ]

On the average, a new laptop loses 40% of its value in its first year, and another 40% in its second year. Starting with the third year, the depreciation rate becomes 20% per year.

That's why I won't spend more than $1k on a new laptop. They loose they're value so fast. The higher end ones have more to lose. It's hard to believe I spend $1,700 on my T42. It seems a world away from that time, but they were more of an investment then.

I bet that's the list price for this laptop. With sales and coupons, a $1,700 Thinkpad can often be had for around $1,200 through the Lenovo web site.

If know how to work the system like the outlet or ebay, you can do even better, but it requires patience to get the best deals.