A few days ago, Apple started offering refurbished M4-based Mac minis and MacBook Pros in select Certified Refurbished Stores. However, Apple did not update the pricing for the previous-generation M2 Mac minis there. For example, a refurbished M2 Mac mini with 16GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD could be had for $559, which was a rather bad buy considering that it was $50 more expensive than the more advanced (refurbished) M4 Mac mini with the exact same key specifications at just $509.
The reason for this had to do with the default RAM configuration. The M2 Mac mini started with 8GB of RAM by default; however, the M4 Mac mini now starts with 16GB by default for Apple Intelligence. But now, this pricing problem has been remedied according to Tech God on X, so you can now get a refurbished Mac mini (M2/16GB RAM/256GB SSD) for just $459, which is a much better value given the amount of RAM. You could get a refurbished Mac mini (M2/8GB RAM/256GB SSD) for $319, but that model quickly went out of stock at the time of this posting. So if you just want a more modern Mac and already have the necessary peripherals, a refurbished M2 Mac mini may be worth considering if you still prefer USB-A ports for some reason (the M4 Mac mini ditched those in favor of USB-C all out).
Spend 100.00 more and get the M4 Mac Mini. I don’t get why Apple is selling these at such a premium. Buying the M2 makes absolutely no sense. USB-C to USB-A adapters are cheap.