1999 GT, No 3rd gear

[Cool Breeze]

Hey guys. I did something stupid and bought a '99 Grand Prix GT without having it checked out. I have owned a 2004 and it was a great car, so I was confident going in. It has the same 3800 engine that I've come to trust after having the '04 and a 2000 Buick Regal that were both great cars. Well, I'm the exact opposite of a mechanic and it seemed to drive good to me. My dad drives it and tells me it's taking too long to shift into 3rd. Come to find out, it's not shifting into 3rd at all. It goes from 2nd to OD and when you downshift manually, it goes back to 2nd. I was very surprised because it is absolutely silky smooth when it does shift. I can set the cruise at 30 and let off the accelerator and it shifts into OD and the rpm goes down to about 1500.

My question is, does this likely mean I need to have the tranny rebuilt or is there something else it could be?

Question #2 - Will it hurt anything to drive it like it is? I work only 10 minutes from my house, so will that much driving screw up something else, or what? Is it just a matter of time before the other gears go out as well?

Thanks in advance for the help.

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

Either drive it till the trans blows up completely or get it rebuilt now.

The time it will last is unknown, but one day it will die.

[Scottydoggs]

your going to need another trans, same thing happened to my regal, i drove it for a month like that, and then got a used trans swapped in.

[Cool Breeze]

Is a rebuild more cost efficient than a replacement?

Is this something I can take care of for around the $1k mark?

[Fivefingerdeathpunch]

if you bought a used trans and just paid larbor for a straight swap, maybe it could be around 1,000.

Rebuild normally have a warranty but do cost a little more.

[Cool Breeze]

Thanks for the replies. I got the car cheap enough, I think I'll still be ok. Even dropping $1200 or so, I'll still be into it for under book value. Not the end of the world I guess.