torque converter issues

[Arcticcat843]

Hello everyone, im thinking about buying a 2003 saab arc. The car does not move in any gear and the current owner says its the torque converter. The car is listed for about half of book value and is in otherwise good shape.
I have a good amount of automotive experience and would not have a problem changing a torque converter on most cars. However being that this is a saab, it kind of scares me. Is there anything i should know before I buy this car? Does anyone have any idea of what it might cost to have a shop fix this for me?
Im also worried about the trans itself being bad. Im not sure how a saab trans works but i wouldn't think that it would just loose all forward and reverse gears all at once would it? This kind of makes me believe the torque converter story. If the trans is bad, can I expect a half way reasonable rebuild cost or is it going to be outrageous because it says saab on the front of it?
Also, is this a common problem for these cars? The car has a little over 100k on it so it so i wouldnt expect a problem like this.

I could really use some thoughts and opinions from the saab experts here.

[Cosmicflash]

The tranny is made in Japan by Aisin-Warner, a Toyota subsidiary. AW is now the worlds largest transmission builder ahead of ZF.

The 5 speed is a very common tranny used many cars including the Camry, Volvo S60, Lexus ES 300, etc.

Surprisingly they are not that expensive and any tranny shop should be able to help you out. The only "Saab" issue would be properly calibrating it with the Tech II tool which most shops WON'T have. Most trannys these days are not rebuilt per se but are available as a "remanufactured" unit. You could also get a used one.

Others should chime in here with more concrete figures and places to purchase one.

[Arcticcat843]

Well that makes me feel a little better. I'm deffinetly interested in hearing some numbers and where to buy.

[smurkenstein]

You might read up on coolant leaks on the 03s' into the AT fluid. They should have all been fixed in a service campaign. Causes corrosion.