RCA VR646HF VCR - Err in Display

My RCA VR646HF VCR is about 3 years old and very lightly used (no
recording, low rewinding, play maybe 1 tape per week).  Have no kids
in the house to stick sandwiches, etc. in it.

All of the sudden the display is reading "err" when I put a tape in.
Starts to Play and then stops almost immediately and displays "err".
Is not eating the tape and ejects okay.   Have tried multiple tapes.

Any ideas?  Also, need to make decision to repair or replace.  Since I
could replace, even with an inexpensive DVD player, for less than
$100, would not want to spend more than $60 on repair.  Have no
experience in VCR repair. Is it something I could do myself? Am
grateful for any advice and recommendations.

Thanks -- Paul