Has anyone encounter this problem while trying to load GT5? game will not load. mind you my Ps3 is four years old now and is been behaving however it wants for last year now. Maybe time for a new one?
I guess if you have the money lying around and you really want a whole new system, go for it. However, I think you'll find there are places which sell replacement drives for a hell of a lot cheaper than $130... that's a complete rip-off. I've seen various places selling them for £50 (~$80) and sometimes less over here. You just have to do proper research, and not except the very first price you find.
Buy one from somewhere else and import it? Doing that with one bought from the UK would probably still come in substantially less than $130! I feel sorry for you if all of your electronics are that over-priced though.