I can't afford another car. I paid $1500 for it and have sunk at least that much into the car. No one in their right mind will pay me $3000 for it - so I am stuck with it. With as much work as I've put into it, she should last me a long time, right? It turns out the mechanic says that the kickdown cable needs to be adjusted. I replaced it around 6 months ago and had no troubles until now. I disconnected it and sure enough the late shifting went away. I can't see how moving those nuts adjust the cable tension or why all of a sudden I have a problem. I mean the cable just rides inside the jacket - it doesn't seem clear to me how moving the jacket adjusts the cable. Oh well back under the car instead of in it.