I would not be surprised if many younger car enthusiasts have never been to a wrecking yard. Especially if they are not a "hands on" kind of guy. If you are mostly involved with later model cars then parts are still readily available at your local auto parts store. For older cars sometimes the only readily available parts are used, either from an online listing. a swap meet, or a wrecking yard. Many refer to this venue as a junk yard, which is really a misnomer as that yard is full of gold, not junk.

These can be tragic places for the enthusiast. 

Today I went by my favorite consignment car lot, Wheels and Deals in Santa Clara. 

Hope springs eternal. but sometimes hope has to be rooted in reality. I filled up the transmission with fresh fluid and put it into gear. No change, Reverse still worked the same and there was a little more grip in Drive. I would rev it up and it would suddenly engage a bit with a bang. Gotta face it,  I'm no better off than i was before. My plan was to wait and save up some more money.

Well I'm always scanning the CL listings for Jag parts ans found an XJS tranny offered for 250.00.