went to the local apple store yesterday. they were fantastic at tracking down serial numbers of my missing items. was impressed at what they accomplished.
asked the manager about selling used floor/display models. she told me they don't do that, that everything gets sent back to apple. showed me on the website where i could buy refurbished macs, and they ran about 100-150 less than brand new ones.
if i buy brand new, i qualify for the educational discount, which equals $100 off list price. it's not much, but it helps. we're not in any hurry to buy, so i think i'm going to keep my eyes on the refurbished list.