T40 (2373-XX1) Motherboard had too many falls

[pjain]

My T40 recently began acting up after a few too many falls. The machine would be working fine and all of a sudden, the screen would go off. After multiple attempts at trying different screen saver options, and different operating systems, I determined it was some sort of hardware problem. I took the machine into an authorized dealer to look at. Paid him $100 to open it up and tell me nothing was wrong. The problem got progressively worse and now it barely stays on. The machine is still on because I can ssh or VNC into it. I am pretty sure the keyboard isn't working either, though it is tough to confirm with the screen off. I called IBM even though it's out of warranty. They told me the system board is damaged. I have purchased a MacBook since I wasn't ready to spend $2,500 for a laptop.

My question to everyone is, can I get a T40, T41, T42, T43 or T60 motherboard for less than $500 installed anywhere reliable? If possible, I'd like to improve the specs of the original T40 but sticking to a $500 budget. If I can, I'd like to be able to use the 512MB RAM I added to the T40 in the new motherboard.

[Hanson]

The best option is to extend your warranty (i.e. post-warranty).

It costs $169 US for 1 Year Return-to-Depot post-warranty service.

It costs $321 US for 2 Year Return-to-Depot post-warranty service.

From: Supported Products List (http://www-1.ibm.com/services/us/its/pdf/maspspleu.pdf

This is way better than purchasing $500+ motherboard and risk having it fail a few months later.

[pjain]

The best option is to extend your warranty (i.e. post-warranty).

It costs $169 US for 1 Year Return-to-Depot post-warranty service.

It costs $321 US for 2 Year Return-to-Depot post-warranty service.

From: Supported Products List (http://www-1.ibm.com/services/us/its/pdf/maspspleu.pdf

This is way better than purchasing $500+ motherboard and risk having it fail a few months later.

Hanson,
Is it possible to get a warranty on a ThinkPad that's been out of warranty since October of 2004? I didn't think that was an option.Thanks
P-