Retiring the flutes

For years (on and off) I've been wondering whether the reason I can't get a decent sound out of either of my flutes is because I'm a rubbish player, or whether the instruments are responsible.
Tonight, I took them to get Sue's opinion. If she can't make them sound good, nobody can.
She got a rather better sound out of them than I ever have, but it still left a lot to be desired. They both 'leak' and both need their pads replaced - a rather expensive exercise. I may as well buy a new one - and why not?
There's no point in having an instrument that you never play because it doesn't work properly, when you can have something really good that you play all the time. Right?