If you are looking for a sweet deal on a cheap laptop, then you might consider getting a refurbished one.  There are some pros and cons to going this route, so it might be a good option to consider if you are looking to save some money.  Normally, people are used to just buying brand new stuff off the shelf.  Obviously when you do this you are going to be paying full price for a brand new item that has never been used before.  Now on the other hand, you might decide that you can live with a used item, so you might go on eBay or something and bid on a used laptop in an auction or something.  There are some obvious pros and cons with this route as well, the main con being that you might be buying an unreliable machine. 

There is another option in between buying used and buying new.  You could buy a refurbished laptop.  The thing about cheap refurbished laptops is that they usually carry the same warranty as a brand new item, only they have been discounted in their price because they are refurbished. 

Different companies can mean different things when they use the term refurbished.  In some cases, a customer has purchased a new item, received the package, not even opened it up all the way, and then sent it back for some reason.  In cases like this, the company might repackage the item and then sell it is a refurbished product, even though it is still basically brand new.  On the other hand, you might have a situation where a customer buys a laptop, and part of it breaks or malfunctions, so they send it back and the company fixes it or replaces the damaged parts.  This could also be sold as refurbished.  So you don't really know for sure what exactly the situation is that you are buying into when you buy refurbished.  Some people believe this makes it into a greater risk when it comes to purchasing a reliable item.

One of the best places to get a cheap refurbished laptop is on Dell's website.  They have a special section called "Dell Outlet" that often has refurbished machines in the inventory.  Go there and browse through the inventory and you can even sort them all out by whether or not they are refurbished.  The best thing to do is to wait for them to have a sale on their Outlet merchandise or offer free shipping with it.  That is the best time to buy as that is when you will be able to get the absolute lowest price on a refurbished machine.

You can also check other manufacturers such as HP, Lenovo, and Toshiba for their refurbished machines.  All of these big companies sell refurbished machines in a manner similar to Dell and so it is a great way to get a cheaper deal on a laptop than buying a new one.

It is also worth it in some cases to simply watch for deals with companies like Dell and wait for a big sale.  You can find coupon websites on the internet that list such deals and let you know what the hot deals are on the web.  In many cases, you can buy a brand new computer for cheaper than what the refurbished ones cost!  So part of the research behind your buying decision should be to monitor these deal sites and keep a close eye on prices.  It is not always wise just to jump on a used or refurbished machine based on a low price if you have not thoroughly researched the market and found what the sale prices are on the item you are buying.  It doesn't make much sense to buy refurbished if you can get a brand new machine for even cheaper in some cases. 

For the record, I have bought both new and refurbished laptops over the last 15 years, and I have honestly never had a problem with any machine, be it new or refurbished.  As such, I tend to look for the best deal on a refurbished machine when I can, because I have never had problems with reliability.  Some people believe you are taking a big risk in buying refurbished, but I have never found that to be the case.  Good luck with your purchase!