Sony Betamax VCR question

[B 4204 T3]

Hi everyone! I've been registered here on videokarma.org for a few years now, but I'm not very active on here. I have a question.



I have a vintage Sony Betamax VCR, which is still in the original box, but it is not working. I've had it for years, and it's just been sitting in my kitchen closet in the Sony cardboard box with the Styrofoam. I've wanted to have it repaired ever since then, and I had planned to have it repaired at some time in the future, but I haven't got around to doing it. I believe it is from the early 1980s; from my online research, it is from either 1981 or 1982, but it doesn't say a production date anywhere on the unit. It was also a state-of-the-art, top-of-the-line model back then.



The problem is that I can't get it to load a tape at all. When I try to load a tape in the slot, sometimes it will load a tape, but then just eject it right away, and other times, it won't load at all, and it just won't go in the VCR.



I have a lot of old Betamax video tapes that I'm interested in watching again. Is there any one in the San Diego area who works on Sony Betamax VCRs, or would it be a better idea to try & find another one? It is very large, heavy, and cumbersome, and I'm not skilled with repairing them.



Thanks for the help!