Building an absolutely NON-uber box

[vsp]

My inlaws are in the market for a computer on the cheap. They're looking for a total package under a thousand, with a monitor and printer included, and could care less about the specs; all they want to do is get on the Internet, send email and send instant messages. (Or at least that's all they know they want to do. The geek in me knows that they're liable to say "Hey, can this computer do ____?" down the road, and I hate to have to say "No, because you bought something that's obsolete now" too soon.) Being the family geek, I've been pressed into service to find something suitable for them.

My first impulse was to go the name-brand route and point them at a <a href="http://configure.us.dell.com/dellstore/config.aspx?CS=19&kc=6V774&oc=D23TVF&view=1">new entry-level Dell</a>; $764 shipped with a generic monitor, free CDRW in the second bay, an extra 128MB RAM, otherwise mostly untouched from the bare-bones config. (I could drop down to a Celeron 1.8GHz and save ninety bucks from there.)

Upsides:
* Name-brand tech-support, parts and service
* Shipped right to their door, for free
* They don't NEED a CDRW, but it's nice to have for free
* If they see a program at Wal-Mart that looks interesting, they have the horsepower to run it
* Comes with some built-in software (Works suite, etc.)

Downsides:
* Overpowered (even at entry-level) if all they'll ever want to do are basic Internet tasks
* I'm not a fan of integrated sound/video and shared video RAM (though since they won't need serious gaming fu, that shouldn't be a major issue)
* With a printer, edging close to their price limit

Next thought: have a system built for them similar to <a href="http://www.netreach.net/~alpha/systems.htm">the one I have now</a>, with slightly reduced specs (they don't need a GeForce 2 GTS, for example). I bought a T-Bird 1300 from this dealer two years ago, and it's still going strong.

Upsides:
* Lots of customization options (choosing Win98 SE or WinXP, processor speed, buying a monitor separately, tweaking what parts will go into the system up front)
* Same run-whatever's-at-Wal-Mart ability as the Dell
* I can unpack it in my computer room, set it up however they'll want it, and drive it to their house myself on my next visit

Downsides:
* The price isn't THAT much better, after Dell's rebate
* Still potentially overpowered for basic tasks
* Fear of brand-X parts
* If something goes foom, taking it to the shop requires a three-hour drive, as my inlaws live in Williamsport

Option three: <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3405365042&category=31505">going the eBay route</a> for something that's a lot lower in power, but still quite capable of doing what they want. (I'm not hooked on the linked auction in question, but it's an example of what's out there.) Something like my friend's P3-450 or my dad's P3-800 could do the job, and save a few hundred dollars in the process.

Upsides:
* Much lower price than a new system
* Can still run most contemporary software -- and what they can't run are likely hardware-pushing games, which they wouldn't be interested in anyway
* I can unpack it in my computer room, set it up however they'll want it, and drive it to their house myself on my next visit
* With the money saved, I can pick up an upgrade or two and improve it before I deliver it

Downsides:
* When you buy used, you pays your money, you takes your chances (no/little warranty, no tech support)
* OS/Software required separately in most cases

Then an errant thought hit me. If they really want a basic, user-friendly, no-hassles experience... why not a <a href="http://bundycomputer.com/Pages/imacg3pricepage/imacg3pricepage.html">new</a> or <a href="http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3405905127&category=4603">used</a> <a href="http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/phi/sys/8446484.html"> iMac?</a>

Upsides:
* It's a Macintosh
* I can unpack it in my computer room, set it up however they'll want it, and drive it to their house myself on my next visit (though I may not want to give it up once I start playing with it)

Downsides:
* Never mind the "can they run programs from Wal-Mart" factor -- they won't be able to FIND on-the-shelf programs for the Mac
* the usual "new is expensive, used is risky" caveats
* they might be happier with a generic Windows PC like they've used before (I'd certainly check with them before going the Mac route, obviously)

Thoughts? I'm not particularly attached to any of the specific options I linked above -- they're just examples of what I'm finding out there right now.