when I said totally new, I meant one other than the one that's in there, thanks though. He quoted me a price for a rebuilt at $2500, he said I may be able to do better though. How much does labor usually run on a job like this? Don't you usually have some kind of idea your transmission is going out before this happens? Mine was running perfect. The shift to 2nd was slightly rough sometimes, but i've noticed that in every mercedes I've ever driven. I suspected it was just the linkage that had broken. I trust this mechanic very much I have gone to him for a while and has proven to be very honest and knowledgeable, but this just sounds strange to me. I am a college student with hardly any money, so any money saving tips would help too ; )

thanks for your input