Lots of options on ebay, many for a lot less than what you were quoted. Maybe also try an auto salvage yard for a used, working unit.
Looking at Youtube, it appears that one of the 'fixes' that some rebuilders use is to simply search the circuit board for broken solder connections and resolder them. That was an issue on our '99 Caravan....really hard to spot with aging eyes - should have used a magnifier initially, but repairing that single broken solder has brought everything the cluster affects back to 100%.
