i had a friend who had a 85 toyota corolla. The panel would not light up but it was not the bulb burnt out. to repair it might cause him hundreds of $$$. So he left it alone. he kept a flashlight on the car. if the car got too fast in the night, he turned on the flashlight to look at the panel to see how fast he is driving. :)
he evetually sold his car for $250. I guess the buyer did not test it in a dark night:)
so really good suggestion, brother crosslink!!!