Was it new or refurbished or just totally used?
I spent a pretty penny on a pretty powerful medium sized one for gaming, since I'm ditching the PC I had, but if I ever just needed one for general work, I'd rather go with the cheaper basic model I have. Out of fear of placing something so expensive in danger, etc.
Honestly, it's a godsend I can plug in a keyboard and mouse, otherwise I couldn't use laptops at all. I literally wouldn't be able to put it on my lap if I wanted to because of that necessity. Instead a prefer a nice little workstation... almost like a PC so I can use them.
I can make due, but when I'm writing or actually needing to put effort into something, I could never use its built in inputs.
And I've pretty much heard since laptops came out, putting them on your lap is a bad idea anyway. :X If you know what I mean.