Used 2002 Isuzu Rodeo Sport, 2 days later, problems

So, replacing my car has, like always for me, been a nightmare. It just seems to me that i always have bad luck buying cars, and when that luck turns bad, even finding a decent mechanic. Keyword, decent, as i keep getting screwed.

So i saw this Rodeo at a local mom and pop lot, and it looks pristine. One dent from like a shopping cart, very minor paint wear, interior was super clean, 4 good tires, and original engine with only 120k miles, all for only $3200. A good deal on the surface, even if it was a few hundred over what i wanted to end up spending on a vehicle.

The guy who owned the lot said it had a blown head gasket and a warped head when i bought it, and that he had replaced the head, along with some other things, new radiator, alternator, serpentine belt, etc. It seemed to run fine, and i had 2 people i know, who know more about this kind of thing than me test it out, but in the end i bought it.

Get it home, insure it, get plates, drive it into town a few times, and things start to go south. I noticed when i test drove it that it didn't seem to have a lot of power, which i had assumed was due to it being a smallish SUV or whatever, with only a V4 engine. It seemed to struggle up hills, hesitating to shift from 2nd to 3rd gear, which had me a bit anxious. I desperately hoped it wasn't the transmission going out.

Then my uncle convinced me to cut the catalytic converter out, since its not illegal in Alabama, and he claimed that it would give a bit of a boost in power. Win, win, i guess. we cut it out, and swapped in some flex hose. Drove it to the gas station to grab some beers to cool off after our "plumbing" expedition, as it turned out to be an annoying place to fit a sawzall. After the cat was off, there was a noticeable improvement, it didn't struggle near as much uphill, and seemed to shift just fine.

That night i had to pick up some things from wal-mart, and about 20 miles out from my house my "check trans" light started flashing. The next morning i borrow my uncles OBD2 scanner and check the codes.

P0446 - Evaporative emissions system cent control circuit
P1870 - Transmission component slippage

We cleared the codes, to make sure it was a persisting problem, and i decided i would buy some dex/merc ATF the next time i went to wal-mart. Oddly enough it still performed just as well as it did after we took the cat off. It made it into town just fine, but about 3/4 of the way home, the "check trans" started blinking again. then going over a particularly steep hill, i feel a jerk, and suddenly the RPM's shoot up all the way to about 5-6k and i ease back and it limp up the hill instead. Once i got on the dirt road leading to my home, i was going slow enough to hear a faint grinding noise. scary.

Now the oil pressure light is flickering at odd intervals. Sometimes when i press down on the gas it flickers for a few seconds before stopping. Sometimes it flickers when i idle. Checked the oil when i got home, but couldn't really tell with the weird plastic tipped dipstick. going to check it again in a few, once its had some time to cool off.

My transmission is dying isn't it...?

Well par for the course really, i got screwed. again.

What should i do?

Does this sound like something that can be fixed without spending $2-3k to have trans rebuilt or replaced? Cause i don't really have that kind of money, I'm on fixed income.

Yes, sounds like your trans is bad, I would get 2-3 opinions/quotes from tranny shops, that can be recommended by a friend if not make sure their are licensed in your state.