Well, a mechanic I respect said with a transmission that old, it better be completely rebuilt. He didnt know off the top of his head but though it would amount to a good $2000-$3000.

Thats why I thought of going the route of replacing with a used one. I'd b e happy if I got 3 more years out of it. The body of the car is not going to last much longer than that, so no use dumping in too much $.