Chrysler Repair: transmission, roland roland, franchise type

Question
car wouldnt start in park only nuetral. then shifter wouldnt move and finally let go. we thought broke cable. repairman says needs  shifter assemble, cable and new transmission.  Does this sound a bit hokey.

Answer
Hi Julie,
You didn't mention the year or model, or type of transmission (I assume it is an automatic, but just in case tell me anything you know specific about the transmission, please.) I think you need to look into this some more based on what you told me so far. There are of course the in-cabin shift mechanism, the cable, and then there is a  removable shift rod mechanism on the transmission which is operated by the cable. I would be surprised that the entire transmission needs replacement so the mechanic would need to show you that there is definitely something wrong with the transmission such as to require its replacement. I could imagine that the shift rod of the transmission needs replacement, but why the entire transmission? He can get a shift rod from a wrecking yard if necessary, but assuming the rod is not working the rod mechanism needs to be removed and examined to conclude that the internal parts of the transmission itself is such as to require replacement of the entire unit. Does this mechanic know much about transmissions? If not, or if it is a nationwide franchise type of transmission shop, I would be inclined to have the car towed to a local independent transmission shop for their evaluation. The franchise type places all too often try to sell you a complete rebuild of the trans whether it needs it or not.
Roland
Roland