There are plenty of car parts that can break over time, you need to know how to replace those parts in a cost effective way.
It does not make any sense these days to pay full price, or even whole sale price on a trunk release, trunk latch or trunk lid when you can easily find used ones in great condition at a cheap price. These parts usually see a lot of damage when you have a car for several different reasons. If you are in an accident the trunk can directly see damage. If you slam the lid too hard it means years of hard pounding on the parts that keep it closed and that will in time cause problems for you.
A trunk release can be a serious issue if it is broken because it will fail to release properly. Anyone who has had to put their groceries in the back of the car while it is raining and the release does not work properly knows how important it can be. The same goes for the actual trunk latch. If the latch does not work properly you can have some serious problems, especially while driving. A broken latch can cause the lid to flip up while you are driving and cause a serious problem with your vision and even cause you to get into an accident. There are several negative things that can happen with a damaged trunk lid, some are annoying and some are dangerous. What you need to do is know when you need to fix a broken part and know where to get it. Often times your latch or lid can be expensive if you go through the store or dealership, especially on an older car because there is little chance there would be a warranty on the part.
If you are able to replace it by going to a junk yard or finding a place on line that can sell it cheap then you can stand to save a lot of money. Certain parts sold at wholesale can be as much as 10 times the price of a used part that is almost as good. So why waste the money or live with a broken or damaged car when you can fix both problems easily?