Mac for Mom?

[Matadon]

Ok, so here's the deal -- I'm thinking about getting my mom a new(er) computer for Christmas. As I don't have a spare grand laying around at the moment (I'm a senior in college), I'm looking around at options for a used Mac, and I'm not too sure what would be a good match.

I pretty much just see her running iPhoto, Safari/Firefox, Mail/Thunderbird, Word/Excel, Quicken, and that's about it, although it would be nice if she could burn CDs and if it had AirPort. She doesn't care much about the speed of her machine, so older hardware won't present a problem, and I have Tiger on DVD, and I do want to run Tiger if at all possible.

So, what kind of used Mac should I be looking for? Any recommended dealers?

Thanks-in-advance!

[nixgeek]

How much are you looking to spend. Personally, I think that the Mac mini would be a great solution. The other option might be any of the latest eMacs before Apple EOL-ed them. They might be a great deal considering that she won't need to purchase a monitor. Or you could look at some G4 and G5 iMacs (used of course, as new might be a bit expensive).

[HateEternal]

I agree the Mini is a great choice. Unfortantly for people looking to buy used Macs, they hold their value way too well, you could almost spend the price of a new mini buying a much older slower PowerMac.

I say new or used Mini or eMac.

[HateEternal]

OOooo also check the refurbished Macs on Apple's site, they are usually pretty decent deal, and you get a copy of Tiger too. I know you already have one, and you won't get in trouble installing it on another computer, but its technically illegal.