Mac Laptop Under $700

Finding trustworthy deals on used Mac laptops can be daunting because tons of outlets on Amazon.com and similar massive retainers allow sellers to list things as "renewed" or "refurbished".

Unless these independent sellers are verified and certified by these large stores, I would not trust putting hundreds of hard earned dollars into a computer that will not be guaranteed for a reasonable period of time.

Mac of All Trades has been around for years and they provide a one year warranty on the computers they sell. The only catch is that the customer is responsible for paying shipping to get the item repaired.

"The MacBook Pro Retina Series has RAM that is soldered to the Motherboard."  So what ever Retina model you choose, make sure it has enough RAM for whatever you plan to use this computer for.  Go for 16GB of RAM if at all possible, as newer software and operating systems use more and more ram.  For anything with photo, video, music, or graphics creation, you're going to want more RAM so that your laptop doesn't slow down when running a few programs.

Some current listings on Mac of All Trades for budget laptops

iFixIt Guides for MacBook Pro 13" laptops (to research in advance which models can have the RAM upgraded without serious tools or soldering

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch (Glossy) 2.5GHz Core i5 (Mid 2012) MD101LL/A - Very Good Condition
13.3-inch LED-backlit glossy widescreen TFT display, 1280x800 resolution
2.5GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor
4.0GB (2x2.0GB) PC3-12800 (1600MHz) DDR3L SO-DIMM upgradeable to 16.0GB
500GB Serial ATA hard disk drive @ 5400RPM
$479.00

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.6GHz Core i5 (Retina, Mid 2014) MGX72LL/A - Very Good Condition
13-inch LED-backlit Retina display with IPS technology; 2560x1600 resolution
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
16.0GB PC3-12800 (1600MHz) DDR3L on-board memory
128GB built-in Flash Storage (not very much storage if you want to keep music or photos directly)
$699.00

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.8GHz Core i7 (Retina, Late 2013) ME866LL/A 4 - Good Condition
13-inch LED-backlit Retina display with IPS technology; 2560x1600 resolution
2.8GHz dual-core Intel Core i7 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.3GHz
16.0GB PC3-12800 (1600MHz) DDR3L on-board memory
512GB built-in Flash Storage
$699.00

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.6GHz Core i5 (Retina, Late 2013) ME865LL/A - Very Good Condition
13-inch LED-backlit Retina display with IPS technology; 2560x1600 resolution
2.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
16.0GB PC3-12800 (1600MHz) DDR3L on-board memory
128GB built-in Flash Storage
$629.00

Apple MacBook Pro 13-inch 2.7GHz Core i5 (Retina, Early 2015) MF839LL/A - Very Good Condition
13-inch LED-backlit Retina display with IPS technology; 2560x1600 resolution
2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor with Turbo Boost up to 3.1GHz
8.0GB PC3-14900 (1866MHz) DDR3L on-board memory
128GB built-in Flash Storage
$699.00
** RAM is not upgradable because it is built into the motherboard.  I would not chose this model unless you are only using it for lite web browsing, creating documents, and doing office or school work.

Specific repair guides to upgrade an older 2012-2015 MacBook Pro laptop

MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2012 SSD Replacement

MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Late 2013 SSD Replacement

MacBook Pro 13" Retina Display Mid 2014 SSD Replacement