Broken Super Drive

Hi kids,
First time I've had a problem with my Powerbook in almost two years, but it's a big one. A CD got stuck in my Superdrive a little while back, and now my computer doesn't even recognize the drive. I went to the Genius Bar this morning and after looking at my computer for maybe three minutes, the guy decided the only way to fix it is to replace it (at $310 for the part and $135 for the labor).

Does anyone out there have any other suggestions that won't cost me quite as much? (We both tried holding down the mouse at startup, etc, and buying an external drive is something I'm already considering.)

Thanks a lot in advance

You won't be able to boot to apple cd's with an externel drive. At least I'm pretty positive that's the case.

Look on eBay and do it your self. There are plenty of how to's on the net for you to follow. It seems like there's no apple care on the notebook, so give it a try.