Is it worth getting a second opinion or should I buy a new laptop?

I bought my Toshiba Satellite over a year ago, which means that the warranty has expired. I tried calling customer service already, and they were asking a ton of money just to have the laptop looked at, so extending that warranty is a no-go.

The laptop suddenly stopped charging. It also won’t recognize when it is plugged into an outlet, so powering it that way isn’t going to work. The battery is currently dead and though the machine whirrs when I initially turn it on while plugged in, and the light blinks, it won’t charge the battery or boot-up completely.

A tech-guy friend checked it out and suggested it was the power board. He took the machine apart to see if he could replace it, but the power board on my model is integrated with the motherboard – which is way too expensive to replace.

Should I take it in to a “professional” for inspection or just buy a new machine? Anyone here have experience with an issue similar to this?