things I need know before buying a used thinkpad?

[renhui]

I am going to buy a second hand X41T, the seller gave me the serial number, and I checked online and it said until April 2009. so I think that means this machine is legit, not stolen or what, right?
Also, what are the other things I need to check?
I will aprreciate your input.

[440roadrunner]

Any online sale depends on the reputation and integrity of the seller

Also, if the machine is advertised as "coming with an operating system" then make sure that YOU ACTUALLY ARE the person who is gonna have the license rights.

There's a huge difference between having a maching with the OS installed on the HD, and actually being the licensee


Such things as good close pix to verify the case condition, a good picture of the thing booted into the OS, and a clear statement from the seller about condition overall, accessories included, and whether there are any bad spots on the display


Has the seller actually tested the machine, and does everything, including sound, etc, actually work as supposed to, or is it one of these "the machine boots up" statements.

There's a lot of leeway, here.

[mfratt]

I couldnt forsee too many problems on such a relatively new system. The odds of it being stolen are pretty low, and if it is, then thats not your problem. Roadrunner seems to be a little paranoid on this, and thats fine, but I wouldnt worry too much.