[s_jambo]

Get a refurbished thinkpad. Mine was 3 years old when I bought it, it's now 4 years old and runs fine.

When it dies I'll get another refurbished thinkpad and once again save hundreds of pounds.

[lsc]

this is also my strategy. If you are willing to do a bit of hardware work, you can make them last forever; parts for used thinkpads are easier to come by than just about any other model of laptop I know of.