I have an IBM Thinkpad X40. Have had it for 3 years
Spilt liquid on the screen a while ago and now, although the screen works still, it has a kind of mottled tidemark effect and is dark in places (can also see where drops of water are permanently "stuck" behind the screen).

Is this fixable? Would getting the screen replaced solve the problem, or would it need more than that? Roughly how much might it cost to get this repaired?

I don't have a huge amount of money to spend on repairs. Does anyone know the average useful life of this sort of computer, and whether it might just be worth going for a new (slightly cheaper) laptop?

Thanks!

There are some LCD screen cleaners. If they don't work, then look for a new lappy and take better care of it.

Also see if you can find a used lap top, maybe a non working one with a good screen and use it.

Just a cheap idea

If you have any mechanical skills at all, you can remove your existing lcd panel and replace it. You'll need to remove the entire screen panel, and then disassemble it. When you get down to just an lcd with a metallic shell, look at the white plastic back on the panel. There should be a white tag with a model number there. Plug that model number into Google or eBay and you should be able to find some affordable replacement screens. If it is an old laptop that might be better off dead, I would just replace the entire laptop, but if you really like it, and are strapped for cash, replacing the lcd is the way to go.