weird transmission noises

[MetalHead]

actually my transmission is making several different noises, one of them i am positive is coming directly from inside the tranny, and the other coming from somewhere farther forward towards my engine. they both sound like grinding noises but i'm not sure what could be grinding. i'll try adding more fluid. i took my car to a transmission shop and the guy drove it around the block, without evening looking at anything and just driving it he started to list a bunch of things that were wrong, unfortunately i don't remember what he said. he said my transmission was dying and that it would be expensive to repair. i told him that i planned on replacing the tranny with something better anyway so he just said to replace it. when i drive the car though i don't notice any performance or operation problems other than the noise. i am clueless so far.

Jason