I'm not absolutely sure it is a trans problem. I'm the amatuer trying to determine why high rpms, 500-2000 above normal, are occuring before gear shifts and stays high even at freeways speeds. I'm not getting bangs and determined that the car is not missing gears(the only one might be OD, but that would be expected in a cold condition like Winter before the car warms up). Its acting exactly the same way it does on me in winter on a 10 degree morning and the temp gauge is reading much lower than it normally does and sometimes it drops all the way to the low mark. Its also guzzling a tun of fuel, another indicator of a sensor problem.
This points to a bad ECT returning too high resistance and a condition that would be expected if the sensor were going bad.
If it ultimately turns out to be my amatuer assesment of a trans problem, it's not going to a trans shop, its going to a dealership as a trade-in or sold as-is though an eBayMotors reseller. Its not worth the money, especially when I can buy another late model used Contour SE sport for less than $3000 from a private seller with half the miles this one has. I see them online quite often.
