FS: **MINT** T42p 2373-KXU w/ on-site warranty left! [SOLD]

[NathanA]

EDIT: Pictures added! See bottom of post.
EDIT 2: Price drop. See my last post in this thread.
EDIT 3: SOLD! Mods, please don't close thread yet; see base of thread.

Hey all,

As I hinted I would be doing eventually, I am putting my T42p up for sale. I really, really wish I didn't have to...it's been a fantastic machine, and if I could afford to keep both the T42p and the T60p, I absolutely would. Now that I need to part with it, I want to find it a really good home.

Brief introduction:

The model is the 2373-KXU (so, U.S. model). It is a 15" model. This is THE decked-out T42p model that came with (almost) all of the options that you could possibly get on the T42. The only other T42 that surpassed it in the U.S. was the T42p 2373-Q1U, which had only just come out at the time I made my KXU purchase, and the only two differences between the KXU and the Q1U are that the Q1U has the (at the time) new fingerprint scanner while the KXU lacks the fingerprint scanner, and the Q1U has a 2.1GHz Pentium-M (model 765) while the KXU has a 2.0GHz Pentium-M (model 755). Other than that, they are identical.

Out of the whole of the T4x series, the T42 seems to be the most beloved. Although the T43 has slightly faster CPUs and a faster FSB on account of the newer chipset, the T42 runs fairly quietly and remains fairly cool, unlike how the T43s are rumored to run (I have not had a personal interaction with a T43 myself), and it doesn't have the awkward SATA-to-PATA bridge hack that the T43 has, so third-party hard drive compatibility is not an issue. The technology differences between the T42 and T43 are not very stark; the only practical feature that you would be missing going into the future vs. a T43 might possibly be the ExpressCard slot. Also, for those who are superstitious about such things (which I'm not; I love my T60, but *shrug*), this was close to one of the last T4x units to be built that doesn't have any Lenovo markings on it at all (not even the small-type "Manufactured for Lenovo" sticker).

Specifications:

Before I get into its condition, here are the specs:

T42p 2373-KXU

- 15" IDTech UXGA IPS/FlexView display
- ATI Mobility FireGL T2 AGP graphics w/ 128MB VRAM
- 2.0GHz Pentium-M 755 ("Dothan") CPU, 400MHz FSB
- 1GB of DDR PC2700 RAM (1 stick, 1 slot free)
- Hitachi 7K60 60GB 7200RPM PATA-100 hard drive
- Panasonic/M a t s u s h i t a UJ-812 9.5mm DVD-R (UltraBay)
- The usual ThinkVantage technologies (ThinkLight, UltraNav/TrackPoint, TPM chip/ESS, HDD Active Protection, etc.)
- Physical ports: 2 CardBus, 1 Parallel, 2 USB 2.0, 1 VGA, 1 S-Video, 1 Mic and 1 Headphone
- Intel PRO/1000 Gigabit ethernet
- Atheros 5001X a/b/g wireless internal (Mini-PCI)
- 56K modem & infrared
- Bluetooth
- 9-cell battery
- Windows XP Professional license and preload
- World's best keyboard

Condition:

This laptop is immaculate. I honestly think that you would be hard-pressed to find another T42p with these specs in as good a condition as this one. It has been babied its whole life, but in addition to that, I spent the $$ and time recently to recondition it to almost LIKE NEW. I have had the following items replaced recently with new parts, either via warranty or out of my pocket:

- Brand new LCD screen (nice, bright new backlight, clean and scratch-free surface; I have also scrutinized it for dead/stuck pixels and haven't found a one)
- Brand new M10 long fan (old one was beginning to rattle/had worn bearings)
- Brand new LCD cover! (factory-sealed by IBM; 0 scratches, 0 fingerprints, 0 dirt of any kind!)
- Brand new LCD bezel! (factory-sealed by IBM)
- Brand new palmrest/touchpad! (factory-sealed by IBM; no scratches, touchpad never used)
- Brand new THAI-MANUFACTURED NMB BRAND KEYBOARD (factory-sealed by IBM; never has been typed on before, no shiny keys, rare Thai-NMB model, not the newer China-NMB model that was substituted after the T43 came out).

With all of these just-replaced components, the laptop looks like a million bucks (and works like it, too!). It's virtually in like new condition. The base of the computer was not replaced along with all of the other outer components (LCD cover+bezel, palmrest, and keyboard), but the original base is in excellent condition itself. There are a few light visible scratch marks (all parallel with each other) on the IBM sticker on the bottom, and the RAM cover/door has some light scratchmarks on it as well, but other than that there's nothing else really to speak of (the actual base plastic is in excellent shape; the laminate coating on the Windows XP COA sticker is starting to peel around the edges, so you may want to put some extra protection on that if you care about this).

Any trouble hardware-wise that I've had with this machine has already been dealt with (fan, screen), and everything else functions as expected...most of the "common" hardware problems are either fixed or have never been experienced (I've been careful not to grab it by the corner, so no board flex/video card glitches, USB ports are both working and at full 2.0 speed, both CardBus slots work fine, the noisy/clicky fan has been replaced, etc.) The only thing that might potentially be a problem is that in the past I have noticed that the DVD drive can occasionally be picky about the media it is reading, and it has even turned up its nose on a few occasions at brand-new factory-manufactured DVD-ROMs with nary a scratch to be seen. It's possible that it is a defective drive, though I've had no problems burning discs or reading my own burned discs. If you experience the same problem, you may want to have Lenovo replace it under warranty; they should be able to cross-ship you a replacement without needing to send somebody out.

Speaking of warranty, this laptop was upgraded to 3-year on-site warranty (which is IWS as far as I know, or at least that's what the Lenovo warranty lookup thingie claims for machine type 2373) shortly after I purchased it, and there is a little over 4 months left on the warranty coverage (it either expires on 12/30/07 or 01/08/08, depending on whether you believe the on-line lookup tool or the laptop itself...I bet that, given that the laptop claims it is good until 01/08/08 and that I didn't take delivery on it until the turn of the year, Lenovo could be talked into "fudging" on the 12/30/07 deadline ). If rumors are true, you should have the option of extending that warranty another year or two if you wish, as long as it is done before the current warranty expires (and this would obviously be out of your own pocket ).

The 9-cell battery is the original battery that shipped with the unit. It still holds a charge, but its current charge capacity is about half of its original design capacity (this is the 6.6mAh model - Sanyo built - not the new 7.2mAh 9-cells that came out when the T43 was introduced), so runtime is around an hour or so, maybe a bit more if you turn on all the power-saving goodies. When I update this post with pictures later, I will also post the current battery stats including number of recharge cycles its undergone and current charge capacity.

Extras:

I kept all of the published documentation and accessories that shipped originally with this unit (paper manuals and such), and they will all be included. The laptop will ship to you in its original IBM double-packed box. I took advantage of the free Smartsuite license offer and ordered the Lotus Smartsuite and Lotus Notes Client CDs, and since that license is tied to this machine, those CDs will also be included. The software on the hard drive will be in its original factory loaded state.

In addition, I will also throw in my personal ideaStyle ThinkPad-branded sleeve for the lucky buyer. It is used but in good shape (still retains its spongy neoprene texture, no tares or stains). In fact, it is the sleeve that my T42p has been living in and protected by for almost the past year!

Price:

It has been agonizing trying to set a price (especially since I'm not really that keen on parting from it ). In my eBay research, I have found over the last month or so some used KXU selling in the $800 range, sometimes even higher. (ThinkPads, especially the higher-end ones, seem to hang on to their value longer than most PCs. We all know the reason for this, of course. ) I don't know if this is overvalued, and I don't want anybody buying from me to feel ripped off. I have seen suggestions on this forum that might imply that the consensus among most here is that even $800 might be too high an asking price for this model.

However, considering its condition, considering that all of the original documentation is included and in good shape, considering that it still has 120+ days of IBM on-site warranty left, and considering how much time and money I have put into keeping its condition up, it seems to me only fair that my particular unit should be valued slightly higher than the average going rate for this model.

That said, I would like to start by asking US$950 for this machine (shipped/total), and see if I get any bites. I will also be happy to entertain reasonable offers.

This may seem steep to some. Some people come to the Marketplace on these forums because there are a lot of amazing deals that show up here often, and also because there is probably less competition here than they would face if they went to eBay. However, some come here because they know that there are a lot of honest sellers here who share their love of the ThinkPad product with them. I came here to the Marketplace first before going to eBay in order to sell because although I could probably end up getting close to the price I want for this machine there, I also knew that I would be more likely to find someone here who can truly appreciate this machine and recognize and appreciate the care and effort that the original owner of it has expended to keep it in good shape.

I can't give you the lowest possible price on a tricked-out T42p, but I think that I can offer you the best possible used/second-hand ThinkPad purchase experience you have likely ever had, or at least something that can come close to rivaling it.

Exchange:

I have to be honest and say that I have never sold something even close to this value long-distance, and have never really sold anything over the internet without the protective overshadow of eBay and its checks and balances. I would be happy to do the exchange in any fair and reasonable way, including but not limited to an on-line escrow service of some kind (extra fees for escrow service are buyer's responsibility). I would be happy to take a cashier's check or money order for immediate shipment. I will also accept PayPal if that is desired, though I may also ask the buyer for a small percentage on top of the agreed purchase price in order to cover the extra PayPal fees.

I am also happy to entertain overseas shipment if a non-U.S. buyer is interested, although even that is something I have never done before. (How hard can it be? )

Pictures:

I'm not the greatest photographer in the world...curse my shaky hands and point-'n-shoot camera! But hopefully these will give you an idea of what the machine is that you are considering. If there are any particular shots you'd like to see, let me know and I'll see if I can accommodate that request.

Click on the thumbnail for a larger image (800x600). Higher-resolution images available upon request.



Say hello to ThinkPad.



Windows XP on the brilliant UXGA FlexView display courtesy of IDTech.



MacOS running on my LenovoBook Pro! Turns out the T42p isn't a completely worthless MacOS machine after all (QE/CI working, sound, AirPort/wireless, Bluetooth, etc.)



The brand-new keyboard, palmrest, and UltraNav in place.



Closer-up of keyboard and palmrest.



My ThinkPad in a state of rest.



The brand new LCD/top cover, finger-print, oil, dirt, and scratch-free.



The soon to be discontinued IBM ThinkPad logo.



One of the beefy metal hinges, and more close-up of the LCD cover.



Side profile. The flash kinda drowns out the display backlight.



Side profile without flash. FlexView/IPS struttin' its stuff.



Front shot again, w/ flash and screen off.



T42p LED clear plate.



An even closer look at the UltraNav, with "classic" red and blue stripes on the TrackPoint buttons.



A look at the bottom of the unit with the 9-cell battery installed.

Conclusion:

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. If you feel that the answer to your question(s) would benefit other potential buyers or even just window-shoppers, feel free to post them here and I will answer publicly. I'm sure I have left out something.

Thanks for looking,

-- Nathan

[asiafish]

Wow, I wish I could afford it. I've always wanted to play with a Flexview screen and have fond memories of my 14" T42p. Alas, after a recent T60 purchase, I just can't find the dough.

[positive]

Nathan, thank you for offering your computer. I just sent you a PM.
Regards,

Walt

[Johan]

I completely, fully and whole-hearted support all Nathan's claims and recommendations for the T42p's as described in the above post. Had I not recently bought a "re-manufactured" (but in all respects appearing completely like new!) T42p (2373-Q1U) - and I did it via this fantastic forum! - I would certainly be on the move right now!

For those who might wonder why getting an used T42p and not a new e.g. T60, I explained the reasons in this thread. Any potential buyes in doubt of whether or not to get this T42p, please feel free to ask me as well - I investigated quite a few things and may perhaps help with information about this or that.

Wow - I'm even tempted now!!

Best regards,

Johan

[wearetheborg]

Doesnt changing bezel etc not void warranty ?

What modifications can one make without affecting waranty ?

[ajkula66]

Someone SNATCH this one and FAST! They will NOT come nicer or more loaded at the present time...and don't expect something like this much cheaper either...

Bump for a great machine!

[Johan]

@ Nathan:

The T42p discussed in this thread (your post of Fri Aug 24, 2007) - is it this very T42p offered for sale here?? If so - all I can say is: Lucky you, who gets it!

Best regards,

Johan

[NathanA]

Walt,

Sent you a PM.

-- Nathan

[NathanA]

Johan,

Thanks for your vote of confidence!

This is indeed the very same T42p that I spoke of in my T60p thread that you linked to, with the very same replacement LCD. It looks beautiful (IMO).

It's been my main personal computer for over 2.5 years now, and I've loved every minute of it. I'm fond of saying that it's the best computer I've ever owned, and that before that, the ThinkPad 770 that I retired when I got my T42p was the best computer I ever owned up until that point. Now it's time to move on with my T60p.

-- Nathan

[NathanA]

Alright, here are my thoughts about the warranty issue as brought up by borg. These thought are borne out of my observations and experience both with other people here on this forum as well as my own dealings with the IBM service department over the years.

I have taken apart ThinkPads before that were still in the middle of their warranty coverage, and still had IBM honor warranty repair requests afterwards. ThinkPads (and even laptops in general, or PCs as a whole if you want to expand the circle even further) are not really sealed-box devices; there is no "Warranty void if removed" stickers preventing you from opening it up, and no way for the service dude to tell if it has been opened by an "unauthorized" individual.

ThinkPads are especially consumer-friendly when it comes to this issue, and I imagine this probably has more to do with its business-centric orientation as a product. Most large businesses are going to have their own IT staff in-house who can deal with some of this stuff, and IBM knows that it needs to cater to this requirement. Aside from the Hardware Maintenance Manuals being published publicly and freely at the time a given model is released, the palmrest and keyboard are listed as CRUs (Customer Replaceable/Repairable Units) on most models, and once you have taken those off, you're inside the computer...there's the mainboard, heatsink, and MiniPCI devices staring back at you, naked as anything. Heck, you're required to take the palmrest off on new models (T/R6x) just to install RAM!

So, I think it all comes down to how you treat it/work with it when you're inside of it. There was a post on these forums (I'll try to find it later and link to it here) not too long ago by a guy who had his laptop serviced by Selectron who replaced his fan/heatsink, and when he got it back, it was still running extremely hot. So he opened up his ThinkPad, took the heatsink off, and found that the person who worked on it had forgotten to take the plastic sheet off of the heatsink bonding compound, so there was this sheet of plastic in between his CPU (or GPU, can't remember which) and his heatsink! Not very thermally effective! He took matters into his own hands, took the sheet off himself, reapplied the heatsink to the CPU/GPU, reassembled everything, and found that his thermal problems were over. He contacted IBM about the service department's error, and after they verified with the engineering department that the plastic sheet should in fact have been removed before installation, he was apologized to and compensated for his trouble! (I think they shipped him a new battery or some RAM or something, gratis.) I myself have taken off my LCD bezel on this T42p countless times in order to be able to access the edges of the panel while I'm trying to clean it (so that dust and crap doesn't get trapped in there), and yet I've now had the LCD replaced on this machine twice, and the service guy didn't bat an eye in either case.

Now, obviously, if you yourself BREAK something while mucking around in there, you're SOL (and should be SOL). And that's really what the whole drive behind these "warranty void if removed/opened" clauses is all about...the manufacturer wants to be sure that when they are asked to service something, that the failure is due to an actual manufacturing defect and NOT to misuse. You can't go in there yourself and, being an incompetent, discharge electrostatic shock into, say, the CPU, feign ignorance, and ask IBM to replace it because "obviously it is defective."

However, if you are careful and take all precautions necessary, and you come out of it having damaged nothing, I don't see why if something breaks 6 months after the fact, that IBM wouldn't honor the warranty.

I'll tell you all what: I am so confident that you will have no problems with warranty claims on this machine that I will personally guarantee it. If you buy this machine from me, and some part of it fails between the time of your purchase and the expiration of the warranty at the end of this year, and it is demonstratably not your fault (it's an obvious defect), and you call IBM and they come out on-site and refuse to fix it for you because they suspect that you have opened up the computer or tried to service it yourself, then you pack it up and ship it back to me (on my dime) and I will take care of it for you, either by having my IBM service guy come over and fix it or by replacing or repairing the part myself.

Deal?

-- Nathan

[scosgt1]

Just to add one thing:
In fact, many large corporations not only have an IT department, but even system boards are considered FRU's for them! So if you have a used Thinkpad, there is really no way to know who has been inside it or how many times it has been repaired, in or out of warranty. The only thing is, if you upgrade the CPU save to old one and replace it if you need service. AND AFAIK IBM uses white thermal grease, NOT Arctic Silver, so don't make that mistake. And do try to hold on to all the screws and put them back where they belong. As to the plastic RF shield, since keyboards are customer replaceable, it would not be at all unusual for one to be missing - the consumer just forgot to put it back in.

[wearetheborg]

NathanA and scosgt1, thanks for the tips.

I recently bought a used T42 in warrant, and one of the screws is missing at the bottom. What is the chance that this will void warranty ?

[scosgt1]

Sometimes they just fall out. And NOT ALL THE HOLES in a T42 even get a screw! There is a hold for the security screw (rarely used) and a hole in the second row that does not have any markings next to it and it is not supposed to have a screw in it.

[wearetheborg]

Sometimes they just fall out. And NOT ALL THE HOLES in a T42 even get a screw! There is a hold for the security screw (rarely used) and a hole in the second row that does not have any markings next to it and it is not supposed to have a screw in it.

I did not know that, I just checked another T42, and it did not have that screw either (near the battery, top left)

[NathanA]

Okay, here is the information on the state of the battery. I just recently ran it through a battery reconditioning through the Power Manager software -- something that I'd never tried using before -- and I ended up gaining 5-6 watthours over what it was able to hold on a full charge before! It also ended up going from "yellow" status to "green" status at the same time.

Manufacturer Name: SANYO
Manufacture Date: 2004-12-13
First Used Date: 2005-01
Battery Name (FRU Part Number): IBM-08K8198
Design Capacity: 71.28 Wh
Remaining Capacity: 41.55 Wh
Cycle Count: 207 (!)

Speaking of screws, I should probably mention that I tried to do the refurb operation "right" by ordering a screw kit from IBM maintenance parts and using all new screws and screwcaps where I had to remove them. (Those nylon-coated threads are a B!*$# to screw in!! Or maybe I just need to get a better screwdriver...)

Also, I unfortunately ended up putting a gash in the front LED clear plate when moving it from one LCD bezel to the other...d'oh. I should have a new one on the way to me now and it should be in my hands in a day or two, if the seller that I found is honest. So before I ship to the buyer, this part will also be replaced as well along with the top clear plate (for good measure).

-- Nathan

[crashnburn]

MacOS running on my LenovoPad Pro! Turns out the T42p isn't a completely worthless MacOS machine after all (QE/CI working, sound, AirPort/wireless, Bluetooth, etc.)

I know its off topic but I had to ask. PS: Plus your thread gets a BUMP.

Have you installed or can you do a similar install of MacOS on the T60p?

[NathanA]

Have you installed or can you do a similar install of MacOS on the T60p?

Yep. In fact, it was my T60p that I first tried it on. Since I have the 2623-DDU, I just followed the sticky in the MacOS X forum here for my model.

The T60p was actually more of a pain to get everything working on than the T42p. With the T42p, it recognized my graphics adapter AND the sound chipset out of the box, so to speak, so I had accelerated graphics and sound the very first time I booted it up. I had to edit the bootloader config file to get full UXGA resolution and also edit the AirPort kext files so that it would recognize my Atheros Mini-PCI as an AirPort card, but that was about it on the T42. I was shocked. The sound driver also "knew" how to operate the mixer and the microphone input on the T42 as well.

On the T60p, I had to edit the ATI video kexts, edit the bootloader config file for full resolution, edit the Azalia sound kexts, remove another sound kext that would conflict with the first, install a new wireless card (swapped Intel Centrino for Atheros 11n Mini-PCIe), and install the Apple wireless update. Most things work after all of that, but the sound is output only (no input/microphone support).

On both machines, power management only works insofar as displaying a battery or charging indicator and possibly controlling the power use (not sure actually how effective its attempts are at power control). I cannot suspend either laptop, which is lame.

Also, for some reason, I can use the built-in DVD Player app on the T60p and DVDs look great, but on the T42p, it pretty much locks up the computer (sometimes I'll get a flash of solid color and a millisecond of audio output...it's pretty obvious by the way it acts that it is pegging the CPU or something). I was successful, however, in playing a DVD on the T42p using the Mac version of the VideoLan Client (VLC; http://www.videolan.org/).

-- Nathan

P.S. -- I guess that I should add that jokes don't come off well if you fumble them in the first place; I meant to caption that image "LenovoBook Pro," not "LenovoPad Pro."

[NathanA]

Alright, per the request of a potential buyer, here are some more pics, this time of the LCD in a dark environment without flash: pitch black, all white, all red, all green, and all blue. I hope these are helpful. Remember to click on the thumbnail for an 800x600 version, and higher-res versions (8 megapixel) are, as always, available upon request.











-- Nathan

[NathanA]

This is still available. I'm dropping the price to $900 USD shipped ground (+ insured/"declared value") in the U.S. Internationally, I can cover up to $20 USD in shipping, as that is about what I would have paid to ship it in the U.S.; the difference of $20 and actual shipping cost will be covered by the buyer. 3% PayPal fee applies if paying by PayPal.

There are also some more pictures of the laptop over here in case you missed 'em. Also, the clear plates that I referenced in a previous post have arrived, so that's covered. And I haven't taken the protective sticker off of the clear plates, either, so those are as mint as can be!

Please, don't make me eBay this beauty.

-- Nathan

[Harryc]

YGPM

[NathanA]

SOLD!!!

I would ask, though, that if they don't have any problem with this request, that the moderators here leave the thread open for now. I have asked the buyer if he would be willing to reveal himself and post his satisfaction (or lack of...hopefully not, though!) with the machine and transaction once he has received it. This is my first sale here...I tried to do everything by the book and above-board, and I guess my reputation here is riding somewhat on this. I really want the buyer to be happy with his purchase!

Thanks, everyone, and especially to the buyer!

-- Nathan

[tonepaq]

Congratulations on the sale!

[Harryc]

I have asked the buyer if he would be willing to reveal himself and post his satisfaction (or lack of...hopefully not, though!) with the machine and transaction once he has received it.

The machine was received in great condition (looks new) and it functions well. I was a bit disappointed with what appears to be uneven back lighting (apparent on a white background only), but will live with it as my understanding is that many UXGA flexview LCD's of the day had a similar issue. NathanA is a good, honest seller.