window repair in Paterson, NJ

Usually, at least where I live, PCs with windows on it are cheaper than PCs with Linux (e.g. Ubuntu) on it.

Used IBM/Lenovo Thinkpads are 100% compatible. The x220 is affordable, and a nice form factor. Another plus is it is also compatible with FreeBSD and its variants, if you should also develop interest in them.

It all depends on exactly how you're going to use this device. If it's purely for learning Linux and won't be used for much else you might as well get a Raspberry Pi. If you want a laptop and only plan on using it to learn the terminal / gui, do some web browsing, text editing, etc then find an older Lenovo Thinkpad on ebay. However, if you think you might want to use this device as your primary laptop I'd get a newer Lenovo or Asus since they tend to work just fine with Linux. As alfunx said, Linux specific Laptops from Dell or a place like system76.com tend to be priced higher. Lastly, you could get a cheap Chromebook and find a guide about installing Linux on it but from my experience it isn't an enjoyable way to use Linux.

Get one of these. Tear it apart, clean out dust and crap, give it some fresh cooling paste between cpu and cooler. It's a 45-60 min operation. Order a new 9 cell battery on eBay. You now have a kick ass little laptop for the next 3-4 years. And it will costs you ridiculously little money. Those older ThinkPads don't die easily. https://youtu.be/SRoJGmnay0E

I actually moved over to a chromebook. Cheaper price point, great build quality, learning how to work with limits. (Beats only using top end hardware.) Chromebooks have a dedicated distro of Linux called GalliumOS. It's tweaked to work with their limited hardware specifically.