Job Discussion Forums

[EMH1969]

Any idea where I can buy a laptop (new or used) in Mexico City that won�t cost an arm and a leg?

Thanks,

Ed

[Guy Courchesne]

[FreddyM]

There's also www.mercadolibre.com.mx which is like e-bay for Mexico. The Plaza de computacion along Eje central (and Republica de Uruguay) also has tons of stuff, though I think you can get better deals off of mercadolibre....many people there buy from the U.S. and then resell them here for a reasonable markup, avoiding import duties, but you risk buying from an individual and probably without a warranty.

I've seen some online ads from Dell Mexico, and some of them aren't that bad, only slightly more expensive than what you'd find in the U.S., with financing and local warranty available.

The worst place to buy from is a big retail store, those prices will run you at least twice what you could find in the U.S.

If you are taking a trip to the states anytime soon, it's better to just buy it there and bring it with you when you return.

[EMH1969]

Thanks for the responses! Unfortunately, I won�t be in the States for a while so I have no way of buying a computer there. And I�m only transitioning through Mexico on my way to other destinations so I don�t have an address to use for a site like Mercado Libre.

What subway stop would I use to get to Plaza de Computaction?

[Guy Courchesne]

On the pink line, you can get out at Salto del Agua. From there, you would be on Eje Central and can walk the few blocks (follow the direction of traffic) to the plaza. There's another metro stop closer to it...dark green line, one down fro Salto del Agua...I think it's called San Juan del Rio. Either way, you're close to it all.

[notamiss]

Map: http://people.reed.edu/~reyn/redinternet.pdf.

The other stop you (Guy) were thinking of, the one on the green line, must be San Juan de Letr�n, right? Bellas Artes on the green and blue lines will also get you (original poster) there; after reaching the surface, you'd start walking south on Eje Central (L�zaro Carden�s) and you'd reach Madero with in 2 short blocks.

[EMH1969]

Thank you both!!! It�s much appreciated.

[corporatehuman]

San Juan de Letran is the easiest. Just exit to the street REPUBLICA DE URUGUAY. That's the street with the computer stuff.

[Gary Denness]

I can't help but pity anyone who really has to buy anything electronic in Mexico. There is almost nothing that would persuade me to do so!

Have you never really wanted to see one particular city in the US? You could probably fly there, spend one night in a hotel, buy a laptop and return - all for less money than buying an equivalent model here.

Where are you going next? If you're staying in the region, Belize and Panama are better bets.

[Samantha]

Both my husband and I have purchased new laptops from Dell Mexico, online, (his with Spanish Windows and mine with English Windows) and received extremely good service, with fast door to door delivery. And get this....our warranty is actually valid here in Mexico if something should go wrong. Don't underestimate Mexico.

[Gary Denness]

I can't argue about service, and it's a fair point to mention the guarantee being valid in Mexico. But....

Dell Mexico usually sell models that have been discontinued in the US at twice the price that they sell the new replacement model at. At the very least they sell very low spec versions. Do you choose the old version for $1,000 here, or the new model with higher specs at $500 in the US?

Guarantee or no guarantee I'm getting my new laptop in the summer in the States.

[Samantha]

If you haven't shopped Dell Mexico lately, you may be in for a bit of a surprise. We custom ordered (and upgraded) to suit our individual needs. We did quite a bit of comparison shopping before ordering the first one. Because of the currency exchange rates, it wouldn't have paid us to leave Mexico to go shopping for a laptop, but if you are going for other reasons anyway, and you don't care about the warranty, then that's different.

[Gary Denness]

I did check out Dell Mexico before my last post just in case I was going to be surprised - maybe I could have bought my PC here now, instead of the US in 6 months. But, I wasn't. It was pretty much as I expected.

Take one of the basic models, the 1420, which you can buy in both Mexico and the US. Cross the border and you will pay $899 for one of the better specced models in the line up. For the same specification in Mexico you will be asked to part with MXN $17,329, which is about US$1650.

That's virtually double the price, which is about the norm in Mexico. For that $750 saving you could definitely treat yourself to a holiday north.

[Samantha]

That's weird. That is not what we found at all. We both ordered beefed-up 1420's, mine last July and his just this past December. We upgraded everything, but we paid nothing even close to the price you posted here. In fact much closer to your USD price than the price you quoted for Mexico. Maybe we just picked good days to order a laptop! I have to say I loved Dell Mexico's attentive service from start to finish. And if something goes wrong, that service will continue. A holiday sounds good though.

[notamiss]

Warning, thread drift. BTW, Samantha, did you get them with or without Vista? http://www.google.com/search?q=dell+vista+xp