Originally Posted by
JustMe'D I have a MacBook (early 2009) with 4 GBs of RAM, 2.5 GHz processor and I'm running OS X Mavericks without a problem. I also have iWorks installed, but did have Microsoft Office for Mac at one point but opted to use iWorks instead. Having said that, if you're comfortable with the price AND with the current owner having upgraded the CPU then go for it, but I highly recommend that you have check to see if it indeed work before handing over your money. It is still a used device so there's always a risk involved.
I totally plan on making sure this will work before I hand over money. While Craigslist can be good source for deals, not all of them are "great". I have only bought one computer on Craigslist, and that ended up being a daily driver for the better part of two years before I shelved it for updated hardware. (the PC I'm using now) I have been burned enough to know certain questions must be asked
before money is exchanged. My motto is trust but verify.
There is
one issue that I've noticed so far and that is the seller mentioned being diagnosed with
Stage IV Cancer. This was almost in immediate response to my proposed counter offer of $200 for the machine, which I spelled out in the introductory email to the seller. I negotiate regularly as part of my day job. Hardly ever does a "human" factor come into play when you are talking about one Fortune company compared to another, so I was admittedly taken back by this. I hate to say this, but this makes me almost
not want to buy this from him.
I can empathize here, but the skeptic in me wonders why even bring it up.
My father passed away two years ago from Cancer. I remember the man that he was and I can still to this day visualize the condition he was in just days before he passed. It was horrible. He was also Stage IV. My wife is on chemo medication to treat a condition she has, so I'm aware of how long-term use of the medication can sap the life out of someone. She's going to be on this probably for the rest of her life so I know it won't necessarily get better (likely worse) from here. Neither my father nor my wife care to freely admit nor vehemently deny what did and currently does afflict them. My father to his final hours refused any special care. Hospice was out of the question. My wife battles through the pain she experiences daily. I cannot imagine either one of them mentioning a specific condition they had in an effort to sell a used item on Craigslist.
$225 for a mac mini isn't bad proposition, but the tactics used to maintain that price point
may be suspect.