Refurbished laptops

[nipper]

I am looking at perhaps purchasing a laptop computer for my daughter for christmas. I wonder if any of you have had any experience (good or bad) with a refurbished laptop. There are tons of Dell laptops out there which are "off lease" for around $250 with anywhere from a 30 to 60 day warranty. Most do not warrant the battery, but a new battery can be purchased for about $40 on Ebay. Any thoughts would be appreciated.