Laptop question

[keith123]

I ruined my old laptop by spilling water on it and not noticing for about a day. I never got it checked out or anything, but it is about 4-5 years old now, and I just assume it is beyond repair and not worth investing money to find that out.

So anyway, what is the best way to go about getting a good cheap laptop. I would like to spend as little as possible, and I basically would be using it for office type stuff (at home) and the internet (downloading fairly quickly is somewhat important) and i'd be storing music on it.

I don't know what brands are the best for low-end laptops, and I have no idea where to skimp. What processor speed do I realistically need, etc?

Oh, and if you think my old laptop is worth saving (it was a good one 5 years ago), let me know.