Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
5. Is the guy above me right? Can I buy the refurbished Macbook for $1,099 then the day before a year ends can I buy Apple Care so essentially I'll have 4 years of warranty?

No. AppleCare provides a total of 3-years warranty from Date of Purchase, and 3-years Technical Support (DOP). Their standard warranty is 1-year hardware and 90-days tech support. You can buy AppleCare anytime in the first year, the only difference is basically is the Tech Support.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.