I hope an entertaining (pathetic) story will be good enough to get some friendly advice . . .

I need to decide what to do:
1) TRANSPLANT SURGERY - replace transmission now with rebuilt
2) KEEP ON LIFE SUPPORT - pay for some diagnosis, must tow to a mechanic, check fluid, etc., etc., maybe a simple fix. I fear it's not and do not want to waste a few hundred $ on diagnosing a terminal condition
3) PULL THE PLUG - junk it

My 2001 A6 2.8 2WD 123K transmission just lost its mind . . . dash gear selection display reads reverse image (eg - instead of normal "red" illuminated letters PRND /5421 on a dark background, I get "dark" numbers on an a "red" illuminated background).

I see no other dash codes. Oh yeah I must admit, I have had a check engine light (assumed it was routine checkup reminder), and an ABS light (need to get a new ABS module). Oh yes, I sure am damn smart trying to save money!

Anyway, back to the trans problem. At 123Kmi, no symptoms until one day:
1) a little shift shuddering at 1500rpm (thought it was bumpy road)
2) then driving home could hear a subtle whine, now I know something's wrong
3) pulled over to take a look, restarted and would not go into gear
4) restarted again, fiddled with manual mode - it would stay in 1st / 2nd so i could hobble home (another 5 miles)
5) even though I had it in manual doing 10mph, it will eventually have a mind of its own and the gear selector display in dash will, by itself, increment the gear numbers 1 to 2,3,4,5 and then display the reverse video image - dark numbers on illuminated background.
6) I can now repeat steps 4,5 and move the car around.

Here's my situation:
1) Can't work on it myself.
2) Love the A6, but am getting sucked into some age related repairs the last 2 years (new engine mounts, new coolant fan, new cockpit heater core, timing belt at 80K)
3) I probably need to do suspension maintenance - replace all shock / struts. Maybe a tiebar or two - don't know.

Would appreciate some opinions (I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy)

I'm inclined to do option 3 (PULL THE PLUG), but it will be a big comedown to start driving a Toyota Yaris.

Thanks.