well, the tranny isn't the only expensive thing that can go in your system. and 2700 is probably the price you'd get at the dealer's. most people replace theirs with a used one pulled from a junker.

in any case, your differential could go out, that would cost quite a bit too. mine went out when i accidentally did a neutral drop on my car revving at 5krpm. very stupid and a mistake i will never repeat again.

it seems the transmissions in these cars are supposed to last for a long time. i'm at 140k miles now and the tranny feels like it's still going strong. i have an aw7x with lockup. i think 200k miles without a rebuild is pretty common.

the key thing to remember is, you should be taking care of the transmission fluid in your vehicle. i just recently switched to it to synthetic. most people neglect to do a complete flush of the system every few years. just that fact alone makes a big difference.

i wouldn't worry about spending money and time on your car. i mean, is your tranny showing signs of weakness? what about the engine? if not, then don't worry about it. i mean, you can't neglect your car just because you're worried that it might die some time down the line, right? :-)
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Kenric Tam
1990 Volvo 740 base sedan (B230F)
My Volvo 'Project'