apetastic

So, a common theme in this forum is tranny issues. Mine shifts rough, its now starting to almost redline before it shifts, its well on its way out. Quite honestly, my little 2.2 is gutless with that 4spd auto and I really want a 5spd. would it be worth it to do a tranny swap like that? I'm trying to baby the thing as much as possible until I decide. I have a friend who has the 5spd tranny I would need, I'm just wondering if I should even bother.