How old is too old? Used Mac?

[eppur_se_muova]

7. You can buy older iBooks that run OS X 10.4 for around $100-200.

http://lowendmac.com/deals/best-ibook-g3-prices.html but read the warnings about iBook reliability!

You might want to start at http://lowendmac.com/profiles.htm or http://lowendmac.com/powerbooks.html to get some idea of the capabilities/limitations of various models. One of the G4 iBooks might be a good way for you to get your feet wet re. Macs -- although if you really want to save money, look for an old desktop, like an iMac. Lots of these are around for <$100. Of course they're really slow, but if you're hesitant about spending $$$, this might be an alternative. (A local dealer is selling G5's for $100, so if you don't like the "sealed" design of the iMac, you might consider that.) And if you like Macs enough to splurge on a newer machine, you can give the old one to the kids.