I'm at 203K. Never worked on the engine internals or head. Doesn't smoke or make excessive noise. Just took a 500 mile trip yesterday averaging 80mph. Just runs and runs.
You don't have to do a MT swap. Talk to a shop that repairs Autos, let them test drive it if needed, take out the trans yourself, and carry it to the shop to be repaired. Taking it out yourself should save $500 or so, and making the total around $1K to have it rebuilt.