Have you tried the WD40 trick? When my 9-speed Dura-Ace shifters quit clicking or shifting I squirted in a lot of WD40 and they started working again, that was 10 years ago. They're still working perfectly.
My suggestions have taken into consideration that you are a student on a budget. But if you are seriously considering buying shifters then it just makes more sense to upgrade to 9 or even 10-speed stuff. In your case you would need shifters, cassette, chain, and in your case, a new rear derailleur. The shifters, cassette, and chain need to be of the same "speed" generation. The rear derailleur could be any Shimano 9 or 10-speed RD. Your 8-speed D-A rear derailleur is not cross-compatible unless you want to try the "alternate routing" technique. A 9 or 10-speed Shimano cassette will work on an 8-speed Shimano compatible hub. In general, Campagnolo components are not be compatible, SRAM shifters and derailleurs are not compatible, but SRAM chains and cassettes are compatible with Shimano.
Al
Last edited by Al1943; 09-15-09 at 08:12 PM.