iMac faulted, Apple store didn't care

My iMac screen went black, and when I switch it on it chimes and goes black within a few seconds. He said my display failed. I asked how much it would cost for Apple to repair it, he said Apple won't touch it now as it's too old. It's the mid 2007 model. I was told cheekily told to get a new computer, second hand if price is an issue. I asked whether he could check if my hard drive was ok. He connected my iMac to a computer and the computer recognised my HD but it wouldn't mount it. I was also referred to a data recovery site.

I'm very unhappy that Apple doesn't seem to care about customers when faults arise. How can I fix this computer? I need my hard drive 😟 Travelled all the way to the Apple store 2x and waited a week for an appointment for advise worse than what I got over the phone.