Ninja? NutriBullet?

Leaking from the base? Is the base or the jar cracked? If not, you might only need a new gasket ring for the base. Last time I checked, those were a lot less expensive than a new blender, assuming you like your Waring. (You just unscrew the base, peel off the old round, ring gasket from the blade base, put the new one on, replace the blade set, and screw the base back onto the bottom of the jar.)

For "not so expensive" replacement blenders, do you have access to Cook's Illustrated Magazine? The top recommendation from the testing reported in January for "inexpensive blenders" was the Nutribullet Full Size (seems to sell for around $100) and, for a lesser price, the Black & Decker Quiet Blender with Cyclone Glass Jar (around $60). CI/ATK summarized the Nutribullet as:

"Tall and lightweight, with a generous 8-cup capacity, a comfortable handle, and very basic controls (Low, Medium, High, and Pulse), this powerful blender aced every challenge except for mayonnaise, where its low speed was simply too fast. It was a bit noisy, but it got the job done."

They summarized the B&D as:

"Solidly built, with a glass jar, this blender performed acceptably across the board, but it took time and effort because we had to stop and scrape to get results—it wasn’t hands-off. Its lowest speed was almost too fast to make mayonnaise, but it did manage. It was powerful enough to grind nut butter with a bit of effort on our part. The controls were slightly complicated but manageable."

I bought a new gasket at a local appliance repair shop for my vintage beehive blender and no leaks anymore.

You certainly need to get a new one. You can find different guides on the internet that can help you to choose the one that suits your budget. I don't think that a good blender must cost a fortune. I mean, you can find a powerful one at a great price. For instance, I'm using the one from blendtec, which is not expensive at all. Still, it's very practical. I use it for making juice, smoothies, cream soups and even humus. You can seek for more Blendtec blender reviews and check if it suits your needs. From my point of view, this model is really worth the money.

My Blendtec has been well worth the money, and came with an 8 year warranty. It's powerful enough to make flour, or powdered sugar. I start everyday with a green smoothie, the # counter on the blender says 1200...that is a lot of smoothies.

I highly recommend Vitamix. Yes, they are very expensive, but we have had ours for 10 years! My mother is a chef and she uses hers to grind grain, and ten years later hers is still going strong!

Vitamix now makes an immersion blender which I bought recently. I’ve only used it once but I liked that it is well made, a lot less expensive than a real vitamix, and sounds appropriate for you usage. The stick separates from the body which makes storage nice.

Costco regularly has great sales for Blendtec. As powerful as Vitamix, but IMHO a better jar design ... and usually less expensive as you don't pay for the more famous brand

If you cannot fix your Waring, I recommend the Kitchenaid K400; I just love it. Has settings for ice crush and smoothies. My SO makes a smoothie every morning. It replaced a 10 year old Ninja which was awesome for crushing ice, but abysmal for everything else. Not a glass jar sadly (although it looks like special colors come with a glass jar). The one con: super loud, but the Ninja was just as loud. Regularly on sale and I have seen it at Costco.

I was in a similar situation as you when my Ninja was showing multiple signs of imminent demise. Like you, I used it mainly for smoothies, but sometimes for pestos, sauces, and soups. I went for a refurbished Vitamix, base model, no extras. That was about 5 years ago, and it was worth every penny. I thought my NInja was fantastic - until I got the Vitamix.