So my AOD is screwed (has been for a while...dont have 4th gear) and i was going to go in this week and get quotes on it when i saw a c4 in the newspaper for $300..
Does the C4 have any advantages over an AOD, or is an AOD better than a c4?
An AOD is basically a C4 with an extra gear for fuel economy/cruising. They're both just about as durable, although some will consider the C4 a tad more reliable because it doesn't have an OD gear to destroy (because people like to jam into OD at WOT and burn up the OD band). As such, the C4 would probably be cheaper and easier to rebuild later on, if needed.
Personally I'd just opt for a nicely-built AOD over a C4, myself. Is this a DD we're talking about, or strictly a weekend warrior/track beast? If it's a DD and you do any kind of highway driving, you'll definitely be missing that OD gear on long drives ... especially if you're running any kind of gears (like 4.10's).
The C4 is lighter, since it doesn't have all the OD servos and bands, and IIRC it has less parasitic loss than an AOD. And the C4 can be a tough trans for not too much money.
You are pretty much in the same boat as I am with my 93. Smoked the OD band a while back. I went back and forth between a C4 and an AOD. I ended up deciding that I liked having OD especially with the 4.10s and I was driving the car on the interstate fairly regularly. So if it is primarily a track car then a C4 should be fine but if you need to drive it long distances or at 65 or higher for any length of time then I would go with another AOD.
Hey if your gonna go c4 you might as well just keep the aod, with the burnt up overdrive, that will save you 300 bucks and give you a c4 lol. i had too