Looking for a 2nd hand Macbook Pro but don't know where to start...

welshboyo

So, I'm looking at buying a 2nd hand Macbook Pro - purely to be used for media stuff (Logic Pro etc) for simple backing track manipulation etc.

One of the other guys in the band has a mid 2012 15"" Pro and I'm basing my searches on that  - I've seen a few on eBay from "refurb sellers" that look to be around the £500 mark for a mid 2012 with 8gb Ram, SSD etc but unsure whether I am buying a complete dog of a unit (2nd hand bits aside) that is now hard to maintain/get parts etc.

Any advice or does anyone on here have something similar that they are looking to sell? 

spark240

Id try and get 16G ram if your doing music stuff...My Mac mini is late 2012 and going great...Ive just installed SSD and its much faster now.

Keefy

Apple have their own shop for refurbished kit. They only have a 1 year warranty though - we buy our Apple stuff from John Lewis and get a 2-year warranty included.

Troglodyte

I think the general opinion is that the 2015 retina MacBook Pro was the pinnacle.

TimmyO

Troglodyte said:

I think the general opinion is that the 2015 retina MacBook Pro was the pinnacle.

I'm still running my 2015 MBP retina 13" and it's still a great performer - 16GB and i7 help 

Kittyfrisk

I'm currently using a MacBook Pro (15-inch, Mid 2012),16GB  2.6 GHz Intel Core i7, MacBookPro9,1
This was the last model before they went to Retina displays.
It is absolutely fine, despite this model being known for having some GPU issues. Most models are either fixed under the exended warranty or like mine are fine (fingers crossed).
Everything about it is pretty fixable/replaceable, mine now has an SSD boot drive & second larger hybrid drive for...stuff 
As @TimmyO says, the 2012 - 2015 MBP range are the best of the 'user friendly' MBP's, but hold their value well.

You could look for a local one if possible, as you can take it back, burn their house down etc. if there are issues later (kidding!).
Hope this helps, please ask if there's anything in particular you want to know.

fandango

*cough* I have one for sale - link in sig.

Am open to offers.

KKJale

I find Luke Miani's YouTube channel really good for used Macbook info. For example...

Kittyfrisk

fandango said:

*cough* I have one for sale - link in sig.

Am open to offers.

Shameless plug. Well done 

DLM

Interesting. I've literally just been offered a one-year old MBP by a relative who's just got one from work. They want €1,300 for it, paid €1,800. As I really need to replace this ten-year old i5 Windows laptop, I am wondering, despite not really wanting to "go Apple".

Kittyfrisk

DLM said:

Interesting. I've literally just been offered a one-year old MBP by a relative who's just got one from work. They want €1,300 for it, paid €1,800. As I really need to replace this ten-year old i5 Windows laptop, I am wondering, despite not really wanting to "go Apple".

Depends on the spec of the machine, remaining warranty, does your relative like you? etc.
Random web search result  https://www.macworld.co.uk/feature/mac/best-macbook-deals-3665635/

DLM

@Kittyfrisk Dunno, dunno, yes. Suppose it wouldn't hurt to ask the first two.

Kittyfrisk

^ Fair points.
  I always regard computers as consumables rather than anything that will hold value, as they won't.
Also, the law of diminishing returns exists here as everywhere.
Personally I will never buy a new computer, Mac, PC  or whatever, as it makes no financial sense to me to throw away 30% of an items purchase price for nothing much but the smell of the new.
Until then, I can & do fix things that are 'beyond economic repair' & as long as I can do that, I'll be happy maintaining older kit & looking for new solutions in the future.
 
However, with Apple, Samsung,Microsoft et al, all going down the super light, slim glued together machine route, the point is arriving soon where I'll not have much choice   

Simon_M

Mid 2012 MBPs are the last machine to support Mojave ie. you won’t get any more operating system updates unless you buy a more current machine.

RaymondLin

Troglodyte said:

I think the general opinion is that the 2015 retina MacBook Pro was the pinnacle.

I have one for work, in terms of the ports, yes I totally agree.  However, in terms of speed….it is not.

I went through the same thing and in the end all computers have a shelf life, so if you are buying an older one, then it just have a shorter shelf life.  A newer one are more expensive but it will last longer so in the end it all evens out I think.

I end up getting a 2018 MBP last year, 6 core i7.  Now I can if i want to use an eGPU to make it even faster, something the older 2015 can't do.

welshboyo

Thanks All for your advice - got my eye on one on eBay which is was an ex-display model and looks to have been babied - boxed etc with no marks or problems - we'll see how that goes offer-wise..late 2013, 16gb, i7, 512 SSD and Retina

If not, I may give @fandango a shout.

DLM

Kittyfrisk said:

  I always regard computers as consumables rather than anything that will hold value, as they won't.
Also, the law of diminishing returns exists here as everywhere.

RaymondLin said: A newer one are more expensive but it will last longer so in the end it all evens out I think.

I suppose this is where I stand.

Anyway, the spec on the MBP I've been offered is 13", i5 quad, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, touchbar (which I'm told is next to useless) with a keyboard replaced with a 4th gen. one and a new battery because that was glued to the keyboard.

guitarmangler

Check out Louis Rossman recommendations

https://youtu.be/xFIVZYevfGU

thumpingrug

I have a 2015 Macbook pro.  Loverly machine.  been using it petty much constantly for the last 4 years.  The battery has started to lose capacity and I suspect i might need to replace in a years time.  Otherwise it just keeps going

RaymondLin

DLM said:

Kittyfrisk said:

  I always regard computers as consumables rather than anything that will hold value, as they won't.
Also, the law of diminishing returns exists here as everywhere.

RaymondLin said: A newer one are more expensive but it will last longer so in the end it all evens out I think.

I suppose this is where I stand.

Anyway, the spec on the MBP I've been offered is 13", i5 quad, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM, touchbar (which I'm told is next to useless) with a keyboard replaced with a 4th gen. one and a new battery because that was glued to the keyboard.

Depends what you need to do, but I would want more RAM, 16G if possible to make to last as long as possible for percentage terms, a small price up front.

Kittyfrisk

^ Computing 101. Get as much RAM as possible.  Don't buy any computer unless you can add more RAM.