Mac Mini hardware reliability, IOW, buying used ok?

[heckofagator]

I have been wanting a mini for around a year and have been waiting for quite a while for the refresh to happen. Now that we know about the 2014's, like most, I'm not too impressed, and think I might like to get a 2012 version.

The thing is...I also hate paying MSRP and really like getting a deal. That being said, I'm getting worried that anymore 2012 refurbs will come from Apple. I found a 2012 i7, purchased in July '14, for $580 locally. This would work out to cheaper than the Apple refurb, especially not having to pay tax, but then again, its used.

Are used Mac Mini purchases usually pretty safe? Is the originally warranty transferable? Do I have up until the year warranty runs out to buy Apple Care?

Thanks!

 

[reco2011]

I have been wanting a mini for around a year and have been waiting for quite a while for the refresh to happen. Now that we know about the 2014's, like most, I'm not too impressed, and think I might like to get a 2012 version.

The thing is...I also hate paying MSRP and really like getting a deal. That being said, I'm getting worried that anymore 2012 refurbs will come from Apple. I found a 2012 i7, purchased in July '14, for $580 locally. This would work out to cheaper than the Apple refurb, especially not having to pay tax, but then again, its used.

Are used Mac Mini purchases usually pretty safe? Is the originally warranty transferable? Do I have up until the year warranty runs out to buy Apple Care?

I buy a lot of used Macs and they've been quite good. The only caveat I'd point to is knowing if a particular model has a known issue. For example I was considering a used iMac but ended up passing on it because that particular model had a known problem with its video card failing. I'm not aware of any known issues with the 2012 Mini's so a used one, if not abused, should be fine. Original and Apple Care warranties are transferable. I'm not familiar with adding Apple Care post purchase (I never buy it) so I'll defer that to someone else with knowledge.

 

[Albert Siegel]

I've found the Mac mini's to be very reliable used. The most likely thing to go would be the hard drive or fan – both of which are cheap to replace in the very rare event that they fail. I would not worry. A used Mac mini is a safe bet if it looks clean in my opinion. I've owned three used and one refurb with no issues at all when it comes to reliability.