Do Refurbished Laptops Really Save You Money?

Recently, I took look at refurbished laptops, checking out the refurbished inventories for Dell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, and a handful other online vendors. I found that you don't always save when buying a refurbished laptop compared to a new laptop.

Con: You Don't Always Save Money

Not all laptop manufacturers follow the same policy by aggressively pricing refurbished laptops. In comparison to new models, prices for several refurbished laptops are sometimes higher than those of similar configurations. Laptops that were a previous generation(or two) and only came with a 90 day warranty vs. 1 year for a new machine often cost $100-$150 more compared to a new laptop of comparable configuration. This was generally because laptops stated off at a higher price and items that are included by default with new laptops such as a power adapter or battery can be add-on options for refurbished laptops.

For instance Dell offered a E 1705 ( now two generations old) With a 2GHz Core Duo, 100GB HDD, 1GB DDR2, DVD RW, integrated graphics card and wifi for $699. Compare that to a Studio 7 of comparable configuration 2GHz Core Duo, 250GB HDD, 3GB DDR2, DVD RW, integrated grahpics, wifi and web cam for $649. The refurbished laptop cost $50 more and gives you less of a warranty by 9 whole months, 2GB less ram and 150GB less HDD space minus the integrated web cam.

Selection of Refurbished Laptops

Dell continues to offer what appears to be the largest inventory on refurbished laptops and you can easily browse Dell's inventory several filtering criteria. Although HP only offered 4 versions of its DV6000 and DV 2000 series and others seemed to follow suite.

Pro: Refurbished Laptops Arrive Faster

If your desperate for a laptop, a refurbished one will likely ship faster, although you still have the option to purchase from several other online e-tailers.

The Bottom Line

Refurbished doesn't always mean you'll save money. Several configurations cost more while offering less if refurbished. Most manufacturers offer the same return policy for new and refurbished laptops, but the lack of savings from looking through Dell and HP really don't make it worth it trying to find a deal.

In short: Do your homework find an e-tailer or buy new.