Concerned About 2 Used Laptops I Purchased.

I need some help deciding if I have been ripped off.

I spent $695 each on 2 Lenovo Thinkpad T540p laptops. I thought this was a really good deal, as they came with Intel Core i7 4th gen.4700MQ processors, 16GB RAM, 512 GB SSD plus 2TB HDD, Optimus nVIDIA GeForce GT 730M 1GB Intel HD 4600, 15.6" Full HD 1920x1080 LED display with built-in webcam, and are described as being "just released from a corporate business environment in great looking and working condition without any defect or broken part. No dead pixel or spot on its great sharp screen." They came with power adapters, and docking stations.

I took "without any defect or broken part" with "no dead pixel or spot on its ... screen" to mean that it was basically in excellent condition.

In taking the first laptop out of the box, I notice that the corners of the laptop case are very worn, the color is rubbed off of each corner, and there is a large scuff on the top of the laptop. Not too concerning, just cosmetic. I also notice in the seem of the case, there is a rough area - perhaps they pried the case open with a screwdriver? The laptop opens very smoothly, with no sound or resistance felt in the hinges. In looking at the frame surrounding the screen, I notice a pooch at the bottom, where the frame does not sit flat against the screen (there is a space). The adapter that came with this laptop is the one I mentioned in my previous thread with the busted yellow insulation on the tip that plugs into the laptop. This all leads me to wonder if these cosmetic issues combined equal the possibility of this laptop being dropped - which could indicate internal damage that would cause the computer to die at any moment. I also worry that since a power plug in this condition can cause shorts, has it caused problems in the computer already? And since the plug itself is in such rough shape, is the connector in the laptop probably broken as well? I checked to make sure this laptop does not have dead pixels, is equipped with the appropriate graphics, processor, and memory, and all that checks out. However, when I went to open the task manager and check the CPU the first time, a blue screen came up with a face that said some issue occurred and the computer has to restart. The second time I opened the task manager (and ever subsequent time thus far) this error has not occurred.

The second laptop looks cosmetically better on the outside case, though also has the rough area at the seam like it was pried open with some tools. Upon opening the laptop, the hinges give some resistance, and has a gritty feel/noise coming from the right hinge. The screen has several large scratches, some of which I have been able to get rid of almost completely by rubbing with a damp cloth. There is a huge scratch on the laptop right below the keyboard. There is a slight pooch at the bottom of the frame surrounding the screen, but it is much less of a pooch than on the first laptop. I have not started any testing on this one yet, and the adapter looks in good condition.

My concerns are:

Since these are supposed to be the exact same laptop and the hinges feel so different when opening, which one has the defect? Does the first one open too smooth, or does the second one give resistance when there should be none? (I am trying to replace a Lenovo Idea pad that had defective hinges from the start. It would crack and pop whenever I opened it, and eventually the hinge completely split and busted the screen as well)

Could the first one have been dropped?

Can I completely rid the second one of the scratches on its screen?

Do either or both of these laptop sound like they won't last more than a few months?

I know that $1400 for two Thinkpad T series in excellent condition is an unbelievably good price, especially with all of the extra memory and graphics that have been added.

But is $1400 way too much for two laptops in the condition described above, even if they are Thinkpads?

Sorry this is long, I wanted to give plenty of detail. I am still working on running tests, if there is something specific you think I should check out, let me know.

 

Do the prices you found include the same memory and graphics and processor as the ones that I purchased? I cannot find another one with the same specs for a better price.

I would really like to know your thoughts about the defects I have found in these laptops so far.
Thanks.

 

Buying "off lease" computers this is what you get, but the difference in the hinges could have been one user actually opened the laptop and used it and the other sat on a dock in an office and was never opened before. Scratches around the case where RAM was added or other reasons the case was opened (serviced). Our leased computers get repaired by "certified" techs and sometimes they don't put them back together the way they were. Last time I had my laptop serviced, whatever the tech did made the one hinge seem weak, so I called it in and they said I would have to open another ticket.. I skipped it. There is the old saying when buying a second hand car, you're getting someone else's problems. Not to say I don't buy second hand and recommend people do, sometimes the prices are very good, but you have to lower the expectations of what you're getting.
I bought a new Legion gaming laptop for a little over $800 two months ago.