sadly, i'm in the same situation, except mine's even older. i have no hopes of fixing it, but my desire to do so has nothing to do with being a tight wad. i suspect the same is true for the original poster. modern slow cookers don't last nearly as long as the old ones from the 70s and 80s, and have more complicated circuitry that breaks easier. so there's a valid reason why someone might want to repair one instead of buying a new one, which they'll just replace again in a few years. you said it exactly - 30 years of use.
just another poster, May 2012