Dropped and now it won't charge... should I buy a new mac? HELP!

Question

So... a terrible thing happened. While walking by my computer, my foot caught the power cord and pulled my computer off my bed. When it fell to the carpet, it fell directly on the part that the power adaptor plugs into my laptop. Long story short, it bent the metal insert for the charger while still being plugged in. It still charges so I thought I was fine. Eventually I had to play with the plug and push it up or down for it to charge. Now, I have to put the laptop upside down and rest the part that plugs in on something so that there's enough pressure to charge. I figured the bent metal piece meant that I just needed a new power adaptor. So, I just got it in the mail and to my horror, it's not working. It's doing the same thing as the bent adaptor was doing, it will charge for a moment, then disconnect, then connect, then disconnect, etc. I watch this as my battery/charger icon changes over and over. I'm pretty upset and have no idea how much this repair will cost. This is a 2005 powerbook and I was hoping I would keep it a bit longer. Unfortunately, it doesn't look that way.
Is it worth repairing? Anyone have any idea's of the cost of repair before I go there and get it done? Would it be possible for this to be something I can repair myself? Any online tutorials for something like this?
ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!

Answer 1

You need to look around for the best price. While there are a number of sites that sell parts, ifixit.com, pbparts.com, and powerbookmedic.com are three you might look at. powerbookmedic says their parts are new, others may be used. Also, there are two DC-in cards for the 1.5Ghz system. The first covers production to Jan 2005 and is common with the 1.33Ghz system, and the second covers from Jan 2005 forward, and is common with the 1.67Ghz system. If you don't know which model you're system is or when it was produced, go to this site and enter the serial number: http://www.chipmunk.nl/klantenservice/applemodel.html .
If you're comfortable working in a computer system, there are various sites, like ifixit, that can show you the steps to do it. Working in a notebook is a bit tedious, as so much is packed into so little a space. So if you decide to do it yourself, take it slow. Buy a new number 00 phillips head screw driver (couple of bucks for a phillips 00 and flathead screwdriver at Lowe's), so you don't mess up the screw heads, and have 1 cup or dish per page of instructions, to keep the screws you take out at each step organized, so it goes back together. Pay particular attention to reattaching the flat cables that plug into the boards, as they are easy to 'think' you have in, and not be entirely attached.