"The computer could be slow, infected with a virus, or have damaged hardware and you might not realize this until it's too late. Buying a used laptop or computer is a gamble when it comes to computer safety."
---you tell the owner you're a serious buyer
---if you can test it presently with whatever software you're going to use for an hour
---play music, run videos,
----test all ports,
----battery,
---you tell them to leave it running for a couple of hours
----if they're bothered dont even bother....
---run it through like you would do for a car
Sour grapes. Buy our new computers even if you cannot afford them.
Yes any of those issue is possible.
Many people buy used cars under cloud of the same risk profile. However if you buy anything used with eyes wide open you may have a great deal.
For a few years in the middle 2000's I made a living by "upgrading" late 1990 computers to early 2000s used computers in small business that could not afford to pay new market prices. I made money and my clients are still around because they were frugal.
What a surprising perspective! It's been a long time since I've bought any computer that wasn't used. Safety does not occur to me as a factor - but I always format the drive, anyway, since I'm going to install Linux.