OK, I picked up my car used and have been driving it for ~10k miles so far. the thing that has been bugging me is that it is hard to shift. There is a bit of a hesitation before going into gear, sometimes rejecting completely, sometimes grinding very badly. I am assuming bad syncros, could it be anything else? How much does a set of syncros cost and how much does it usually cost to have them replaced?

 

If you are certain the clutch is not dragging then it sounds as though the tranny has been pretty well thrashed. Synchro rings are one, and maybe the most likely, possibility--you won't really know until you open it up.

Cost depends on how much you can do and how much you have to pay someone else to do. If it's 100% DIY (including R&R of the tranny) then maybe as little as $250 to $400 for the parts. If it's 100% "pay someone else" then $2000 to $3500, maybe more depending on who does it.

 

If you can pull the tranny then you can save a good amount. It would probably be about $1000-1500 if you can.