New vs Refurb Notebook

I am in the market for a lower end notebook computer to do business
office apps and some audio encoding. I've noticed that there are older
refurb IBM Thinkpad T30 ( Pentium 4M ) for about the same $ 600 price
you can find a new lower end notebook on sale (Toshiba Pentium M ).
Are the older Thinkpads that much more durable and easier to repair to
consider over a new lower end machine?


TIA

 

I bought a refurbished IBM Thinkpad a while back. It was awesome, but
the battery wouldn't hold charge and there was a huge sticker on the
front of the shell that the previous owner had put on there. But all in
all it was a good laptop, but I wouldn't do it again. If I were going to
spend 600+ on a laptop, I would spend 800 and get a decent new one.


Stink

 

I bought a refurbished IBM Thinkpad a while back. It was awesome, but

I second that. Buy the best you can afford and take care of it. Even if
the refurb one has been rebuilt and retested you still don't know the full
story behind it. Speaking from experience, refurb and "open-box" is a
problem waiting to happen. Refurbs often come with a VERY minimal warranty,
after which stuff starts breaking.