Requiem for a Machine

My MacBook, at two years and four months, has bitten the dust, kicked the bucket, and said its final goodbyes.
Well, not really. The hard drive is full to bursting (and I don't have much stuff), the airport doesn't work, the optical drive scratches my DVDs (yes, when I put in a new DVD, it comes out with scratches). At that point, the Apple Genius told me it would be best to get a new hard drive (third one)...but of course, if I did get a new hard drive, it might not fix it, and then I'd have a new hard drive that I didn't need. And that was all before the battery (already on my second one!) was no longer recognized by the system and fails to charge. Woohoo.
Long story short, I'm selling it for parts and finding a new laptop. And not necessarily a Mac. I know they are top rated in many ways, but I have been repeatedly disappointed in the quality of basic functionality of the machine, as well as the helpfulness of the Apple store locally (and frankly, the one in Chicago). Thankfully, in those situations, my dad has been there to have a heart-to-heart with the manager to get me the stuff covered by my warranty, or else I've cried, which is almost as effective with "computer nerds". ;)
The only thing that has me considering another MacBook is that 1. Apple is releasing a new notebook computer tomorrow, supposedly, so the MacBook prices may drop after a month and 2. I bought my MacBook when it was a brand-new laptop for Apple, and the kinks hadn't been worked out. 3. All my stuff is in "Apple" format (including some iMovies that I've made, but can't alter because my hard drive is so full) and some stationary templates for work through Mail.

The cons? 1. My first MacBook was a gift, which is why I could afford it. :) 2. My work computers are all PC's and my parents both have PC's. 3. I'm not sure that I can afford a Mac with good features AND the apple care for three years, which they've proven is a necessity (even since my parents have offered to cover half of my purchase). 4. It broke a lot. A LOT. I'm three hard drives later, two batteries later, an optical drive that worked for a year, and an airport that hasn't worked consistently since last June, despite many a visit to the Shadyside store.

At the very least, it's frustrating. I really find a laptop to be good when I travel so much because it helps me to work from my promo locations, to find myself when I get lost (thank you, Panera in Herndon, VA) and to fill up time in between interviews at a coffee shop in Rocky River.

So, what should I do? Anybody have a consumer reports membership that they wanna lend me? ;)