What is the typical lifespan of a laptop and how can I prolong its longevity?

[GCT]

I've recently purchased a laptop from ebay, it's in pretty good condition and runs great. However, I think that it's 2002 model and was wondering on how long will it continue to function without giving me any problems? Should I try to resell it, or is it worth the keep?

 

[PerennialII]

... on the basis of last 7-8 laptops, all have developed a bigger hardware failure of sort (HDD, screen, keyboard, motherboard, memory, graphics card, heat issues top the list) usually after about 4-5 years (some have been more pathological). So that would make it 2006-2007 quite nicely . Although no reason why couldn't squeeze a few years, at least, of good going out of it if it's been kept well (which is more can say out of my own).

 

[turbo]

It's been my experience that if a laptop has been running well for 4 years, it will probably continue to serve you unless you abuse it. Laptops with marginal designs (like the Dell I had to replace 3-4 times under warrantee due to battery power supply failures) tend to fail early in their lives. One thing to be aware of is overheating. It can be tempting to go out and sit in the warm sun and get a little work done, but if you are using the laptop on your lap, you may be blocking part of the ventilation, and the heat build-up from the sun is going to make things worse. To maximize the life of the laptop, treat it just like a desktop machine (only portable) and use it on a hard level surface with good ventilation.