.... I used to own a dell 6400 series laptop (which is about 10 years old and still running) the plastic components start to crack with age like the screen bezel and the touchpad got sticky... but believe me this laptop is extinct... and unless dell is providing the warranty u dont want to touch it. everything on my machine was replaced... the area around the touchpad gets discolored..
In this case tho.. the lenovo has better specs and its a more durable machine...plus the black mat finish is richer..