It's Christmas time and you might be contemplating the purchase of a new laptop. Nothing is as good as brand new, new package, new smell, new feel, new warranty and so on...

But according to this guide, new might not be all that it is cracked up to be. Buying a used laptop can be quite economical, and in the end, you'll wind up getting a much better laptop than a brand new run-of-the-mill model.

An extract:
As a geek, you like to try out interesting new technologies -- and they don't always have to be cutting-edge new. Or maybe you want a fancy new laptop but you have only got cash for cheap basic entry-level model. Being a geek, purchasing a standard entry-level machine is simply out of the question. Those units are fine and dandy for your mom and dad but they simply are not for you. Your problem is that you want the $3,000.00 computer for the price of a $999.00 computer (or less - actually mostly less). So what can you do?
Read the Rest:
http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsid=2138

Quite long and detailed, but it may prove helpful if you are considering purchasing a used laptop.