Good price for X31?

[cwf]

Hello,

Would like some feedback on whether or not this is a good price for an X31:
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http://toronto.craigslist.org/sys/322240429.html

Thinkpad X31 ultraportable notebook-upgraded-extras-warranty-MINT - CDN$900

This is NOT your usual Thinkpad X31.
- Pentium M (centrino) at 1.7ghz
- 2gb Crucial ram with Micron chips
- 80gb Toshiba HD at 5400rpm
- wifi built in
- flawless 12.1 screen
- dedicated video card - 16mb
- comes with carrying sleeve (memory foam from Japan - cool)
- I get more than 8 hours of battery life with the extra battery which attaches to the bottom of the unit, which is also included. The main battery runs at about 75% efficiency - so with a new one the X31 would last even longer.
- Windows XP pro licence
- 2 power adapters
Absolutely mint condition. Original IBM era quality.
Under full warranty from IBM/Lenovo until August 2008
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Note it is in Canadian dollars. The price seems high to me so I'd like to bargain...but what is a reasonable price?

Thanks for reading and replying

[tomh009]

eBay sales have been around $600 for mint-condition X31s, so start at C$700 for this one.

The memory upgrade (to 2 GB) is probably worth an extra C$100, the CPU is faster, and it has an extra power brick and an extended battery. Over a year of warranty left, too. C$900 is not unreasonable if it really is in good shape, and at C$800 I think that it would be a very nice deal.

[qviri]

Save $50, http://www.redflagdeals.com/forums/show ... p?t=405778

[tomh009]

Wow ... three months of bumping that thread!

[qviri]

Wow ... three months of bumping that thread!

Offer $500 and see what happens?


edit: actually, that post was edited. Originally it had some other laptop for sale and at some point, presumably after a sale, was reused to house the X31. No way to tell when, though...

[Pennstate]

I just bought an used X31 2672-RHU for $400 shipped ($370+$30 shipping) from Ebay. P M 1.6Ghz, 40GB 5400rpm, 512mB ram, radeon 16mb, bluetooth, integrated a/b/g wireless, and it might have some warranty left. Considering that people sell AS-IS/broken centrino laptops for $300 on Ebay, and old X22's sells for $250, this was a steal. In fact, you can buy an used X31 for even less than an used T40. Maybe the current ebay market is saturated with off-leased X31s, but I think this is the "price bottom" for a centrino X-series. Speedwise, the 1.6Ghz PM cpu will be more than enough for 99% of laptop users. I feel no difference in speed between my Dad's 1.6Ghz T42 and my brother's new T60.


Since I already have a souped up MacBook and a 12" HP core 2 duo tablet from work (I hate the HP tablet, 12" screen and weighs 5 fricking pounds!!!), the X31 will be my "I-won't-get-too-worried-if-it-gets-stolen/damaged" laptop. Thus, I will not spend any money on upgrades.

If anyone is looking for a good laptop that will last 1-2 years of good use, definitely check out X31s on Ebay.

BTW, here are Ebay "price bottom" trends for THinkpads (prices include shipping)
X20: $200 (no int. wireless) typical config 20gb/256mb
X22: $250 (rare int. wireless) 20gb/256mb
X24: $300 (rare int. wireless) 30gb/256mb
X30: $350 (rare int. wireless) 30-40gb/256-512mb
X31: $400 (mostly b, but some a/b/g, some wireless "upgradable") 30-40gb/256-512mb
X32: $800 (a/b/g) 40gb/512mb
X40: $700 (a/b/g) 20-40gb/256-512mb
X41: $900 (a/b/g) 40gb/512mb
T40: $430 (almost all int. 802.11b wireless) 30-40gb/512mb
T41: $500 (b/g) 40gb/512mb
T42: $600 (a/b/g) 40-60gb/512mb
T43: $700 (a/d/g) 60gb/5512mb

Of course, these prices will vary depending on configurations/conditions. But it should come with at least 30-40GB HD, 512MB ram, and integrated wireless (for all the centrino machines).

Upgrade costs:
X2x int. wireless (will cost you ~$80-100 if your model is not upgradable)
centrino upgrade to 802.11g ~$40-50
Hard drive to 80gb min (~$75)
new battery ~$50

I would recommend AGAINST buying a used thinkpad and put a lot of money in upgrades (unless you already have the parts). Take a T40 for example:

$430 + 802.11g ($50) + 1GB ram ($80) + $75 hard drive + new battery ($50) = $725

Might as well bought a used T42/3...and if you are lucky, it'd still be under warranty.

Keep in mind that a Refurbished Macbook core duo (1st gen) 1.83Ghz with 512MB ram, 60gb, new battery, new features,with 1 year warranty is only $799 through apple.com. And souping up a new machine is cheaper (cheaper DDR2 ram, cheaper SATA drive), already 802.11g, and comes with a new battery).

Also, NEW X32s and even X41s can be had for ~$1000 (with 3-yr warranty) if you have patience.

Buy an used notebook with specs that you can live with. Maybe upgrade 1 or 2 things, but don't overdo it.


I hope this will help people who are looking for a backup notebook.

[gator]

That is a very good post. Thanks for sharing this information, Pennstate. I have been looking for a T42 for my brother and I have these price trends on the T4x.

[cwf]

Thanks for all feedback.

So I got him down to CDN$800 and I think I'll go with it. What do you think? It's been upgraded well and is in mint condition so should be worth it and "C$800 would be very nice deal" thinks tomh009. I like very nice deals!

I purchased a new Z61t in December...my first laptop...thinking it was what I wanted. But over the months I found it was too big, battery life was very poor (1.5-2 hrs on moderate use on the 4-cell) and I wasn't using the multimedia features (i.e. webcam - not Linux compatible yet, integrated dvd/cd-rw, media card reader, S-video). So I sold it last week...paid CDN$1350 and sold it at CDN$1100. Pretty good deal for me considering what new Z61t's are going for on Ebay these days (<USD$1000).

Hope this X31 is what I want. I haven't really seen one. Only seen the new X60 and I love it but the cost is a little high for me...don't want to spend more than CDN$1000. Hardware wise I'm sure this X31 will be powerful enough for me and I don't need the all the new hardware (Core Duo, DDR2, etc.). And I hear build quality of the X31 is better.

So I hope this X31 will be nice for me. Portable, light, Linux friendly, and comfortable to use as a primary computer at home (I have a desktop at school) and when on the road. I'm sure it will be powerful enough.

[solitude]

Bargain price, :)

nice one

[tomh009]

So I got him down to CDN$800 and I think I'll go with it. What do you think? It's been upgraded well and is in mint condition so should be worth it and "C$800 would be very nice deal" thinks tomh009. I like very nice deals!

Go for it! With the upgrades it has, you are ready to go, no need to spend extra money. And the X31 is indeed very well built, and (I think) quite light enough to be highly portable. And 3-4 hours of battery life with a decent battery is pretty easy to get.

[roblim]

What are price bottom trends? How do you get this info?

Does that mean that used X32s are selling for $800 on ebay? If so, i'm selling my mint x32 soon.

[Sloba]

This could be a good reference point...

http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-Lenovo-ThinkPad ... dZViewItem

[apbudha]

factory sealed x32? wow, i didn't know that was possible.