Wife's car. A 2002 Ford Focus with about 70,000 miles and an automatic. (Disclaimer: This was a car her mom helped her into before I came along.) The car is slipping out of 3rd gear when it's not in overdrive. I'm not the greatest car guy in the world but I've had enough cars to know when an automatic transmission is slipping out of gear we're talking about a rebuild in all likelyhood. It's been a long time since I've had this problem and I'd like to hear from you car guys on this. Is there an off chance that the transmission needs something other than a rebuild? And who would you recommend to do such a job? What should I expect to pay? Any transmission guys (with references) out there need some extra cash? Or would I even want to consider a back yard job for this, even if the guy happened to invent the automatic transmission for Ford?

It's just been 10 years or so since I've had a car with major problems, need some advice... Thanks.