Help with a Theta Data III

I bought a DVD recorder this past weekend and was in the process of transferring my laser discs to DVD when my Theta Data III locked up. It won't respond to any pushed buttons or remote commands and won't eject a disc. After talking to Theta I am going to have to send it in for possible repairs. My concern is that it is obviously not under warranty. It will cost me $200 just to get it to and from California. Repair costs may not be that much but if they end up being more than $500-700, what is the point in having it fixed? The current value is only around $1000 and my intent was to sell it after I finished transferring the rest of my Laser discs to DVD. It wouldn't make much sense to fix something for $1000 just to sell it for the same amount. Anyone else been in this situation before? I guess I have been pretty lucky until now but I have never had to deal with a malfunctioning piece of gear. Its situations like this that really make you wonder about the ridiculous amounts of money that we spend on this hobby!