I have a HP Pavilion tx 2000 and I had my power cord go dead. I was able to get a new compatible power cord via Amazon for $10 bucks@@!! It's almost a year old now.. so far so good....
Are u sure it is the cord? I had a Toshiba that had a lose connector inside the puter that required I hold the cord as a odd angle to get it to charge....
I've done alot of business/trades/freebies/etc via craigslist and have never had a problem. Stand ur ground, use ur common sense... meet in a public place. Never go alone.