Legacy machine - browsing, email etc - long, OCD post

[tiorapatea]

I am looking for a second-hand machine for my 75-year old, non-tech savvy mother so that she can book tickets online, surf a bit, do email and stuff. Since she retired 15 years ago, she has not used a computer!

We both live in the UK.

She hates clutter and is cramped for space, so I've been thinking a notebook would suit her well. Since I will end up supporting this machine, I sort of feel that an old Thinkpad will give me an easier time than, say, the latest Dell Inspiron. On the other hand, it's been a while since I looked at the economics of legacy IBM versus other possibilities, e.g. legacy HP/Sony or new Dell etc.

My other thought is that maybe I should start her off on Windows 7, since I do not want to have to transition her at the age of 80 from Windows XP. If I'm going Win7, should I buy and install the 64-bit version if I get a Core 2 Duo machine, even if it has the 3GB limit?

Price is very important, but whole-of-life cost and hassle-factor also counts.

My ideal (not necessarily Lenovo) spec is:
SXGA+ or WXGA+
Small form factor
Well-built
Driver support for Windows 7
64-bit, 8GB capable (don't know why, 3 GB chipset limitation just doesn't seem right)
Cheap

Anyway, looking at ebay completed listings gives me the following indications for ok condition machines:

X60 £125-£200
x61 £250-£300
Z61 £200 (rare)
T60 £150-£250
T61 £200-£250

In spite of cost considerations, I actually have a terrible weakness for seeking out rare and high-end Thinkpad configurations, which is a huge waste of time, in the UK especially.

So, what I'd really like to find is an X60 or x61 tablet with SXGA+. However, I can't see this happening. Finding authentic tablet replacement screens seems problematic also.

Next I would want a 14.1" WXGA+ z61t, preferably with built-in camera! Ain't gonna happen.

Next priority is maybe a z61[m,t]. Doable, but not many come up for sale.

Then I'm thinking x60s or x61s. Very doable.

Then vanilla x60/x61. Commodity item.

Then T60/T61. Commodity item, but sell at a premium to x60.

x6x:
Need to find a tablet to get anything above XGA resolution.
Not too sure how my mother would get on with the Trackpoint.
x60s or x60t best to avoid heat problems.

z61:
WXGA is not bad as base resolution. Maybe WXGA+ can be done by a screen swap. Are all Thinkpad 14.1 widescreens interchangeable?
Based on T60, so still limited to 3 GB RAM. This is still fine for Windows 7 in light use.
Never seen one in the flesh, but they look cute in pictures, and quite compact.
I like that they are less common in the wild!

T60/T61:
These seem a bit big, bigger even than z61, and an SXGA screen would be hard to find/expensive. A WXGA z61t would be better to use than an XGA T60, I think.

Maybe I am blinded to the charms of newer Thinkpads or machines from other manufacturers. Is it crazy to spend even £200-£300 on this type of older hardware? I will need to buy Windows 7 for about £75.

I could give her the T30 in my sig, but I don't think it will run Windows-7 particularly well - and anyway, I would then need to buy a replacement for the T30, which my wife is using.

[tiorapatea]

Just to add, reliability of the machine is really important. Reading the forums, it seems some T4x and T61 models have reliability issues. T60 gets good marks. How about x6x and z61?

[tiorapatea]

Somewhat to my surpise, an opportunity arose just now to acquire a T60 with SXGA+ for a reasonable price (around £175), so I bought it. Not too sure what the condition of the machine will turn out to be, so I may be back! Now, do I shell out another 40% of the price to put my mum on Windows 7? Tough one.

Still want a Z61 with WXGA+ if anyone comes across one.