Well, the decision is made. . we both agree (yaaaaayy

), we're going with a VS2-8 as soon as we can find a good deal on one. Dallas has been a wonderful help with explanations and tips and so have several other guys who have contributed to the discussion. Thanks to everyone who attempted to educate me with Transmission 101 classes!
We're actually excited about possibly getting better gas mileage too, even though we were satisfied with the 7mpg we've achieved consistently so far. I just happened to keep track of the fuel we've purchased, the approximate hours of genset usage and the miles we've driven (I know that just surprises you all), so it will be interesting to compare past mileage to mileage after we put in the VS2-8.
We're looking forward to the long weekend and hope that everyone else is too! Thanks again to all, Christy HIcks