I had my egr valve replaced on warranty last week, the parts manager said there has been an extended warranty due to premature problems and it can be replaced for cars less than 8 years with unlimited mileage. (in Canada anyway) My car is an 03 and was eligible until until October, hope yours may be too?
You could always get a used EGR from a member on here. The Canadian version is not the same as the US version and takes a bit to make it fit, it has a coolant line also. I deleted my EGR, haven't gotten a CEL yet. I took the sensor though and plugged it in.. there's nothing for it to open, etc. but somehow keeps me from getting the CEL I guess.