Looking to buy T42p- Advice Please!

[mbarker]

Hi all, I'm contemplating a T42p and I am hoping you can help me out with some purchasing advice.

First, a bit about me: I am not a regular but am not exactly new here. I come around for a bit of valuable advice every few years. I've owned exclusively Thinkpads for over 10 years- currently an A31, before that a 770, a 765XD, and one or two before that that I don't remember. I generally purchase a higher-end machine when it is 2yrs old and under $1000. I then keep it for 3-4 years. Like many of you, I purchase for the keyboard, the quality, the screen, the style, and of course- the Trackpoint.

Anyhow, I have had my A31 for over 4 years now and am looking to replace it. I've decided I want a T42p with the 15" screen. I have a few questions, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

First, are all 15" T42p "Flexview"? From reading here I understand this is a great screen and I want one.

Are there any particular models (2373-XXX, etc) that are better than others in terms of quality or reliability?

Are there any specific components (of any type) to avoid?

Is there noticeable difference in speed between the 60 (7200) and 80 (5400) drives?

Are the wireless adapters pretty much the same or are some better than others?

And the big question: where should I make my purchase? I see they are available from IBM Certified Used but I am skeptical due to some horror stories on this forum. I see them refurbished on E-Bay.....but for the premium price I would want a like-new machine and this seems questionable. Does anyone have experience? The third option seems to be the Marketplace on this forum, which to me (a relative outsider) also seems like a bit of a crapshoot. Are there options I am missing? Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

[sugo]

SXGA+ and UXGA 15" are flexviews. XGA 15" is not.

I have my T42 for more than 3 years. The driver on atheros is much more reliable than the intel 2200b/g I had. Other than that my thinkpad has been trouble free.

If I were you I would consider getting a duo core thinkpad over the T42/p though. The price difference is not that huge at all. CPU performance wise it's night and day on multi-threaded or SSE2/3 optimized applications.

[gunston]

SXGA+ and UXGA 15" are flexviews. XGA 15" is not.

I have my T42 for more than 3 years. The driver on atheros is much more reliable than the intel 2200b/g I had. Other than that my thinkpad has been trouble free.

If I were you I would consider getting a duo core thinkpad over the T42/p though. The price difference is not that huge at all. CPU performance wise it's night and day on multi-threaded or SSE2/3 optimized applications.

SXGA+ is flexview too?