New transmission or new car?

Alright, well last November my dad (he does mostly body work on cars for a living and helps me with my car problems) found me a 2001 Ford Escape with around 120,000 miles on it because I wanted four wheel drive. I traded him my 98 Honda Accord (My first car) and paid him $1900 in addition to that. I love this Escape. I am not a car person but I love it. I like everything about it. Well, a couple of weeks ago, the transmission went. My dad hustled to find me a new car and sold me a 2004 Dodge Neon with 96,000 miles on it for $2070 and told me he would help me sell my Escape as is. I didn’t have the chance to test drive the Neon or even see it before I bought it because I just needed a car for work in two days. So I bought it. And I hate it. SO much. I hate this car. It’s got a ton of minor issues that just add up (Needs a new stereo, needs new speakers, needs better headlights, needs new windshield wipers, minor scratches, and the insurance is $50 more a month). I just don’t like the interior, it feels small and I hate being so low to the ground. I don’t like a single thing about it. I was just cleaning out my Ford and crying because I don’t want to part with it. I’m debating telling my dad that I’ll sell the Neon and use that money to pay for a new transmission. Do you think that would be stupid? Would it likely cost much more than like $2500 for that? And then I’m concerned that if I put in a new transmission, something else will go wrong. It’s just that money is tight, and I don’t want to throw a bunch of money away. I just really don’t want to part with my Escape, and my dad was gonna tow it to his shop tonight to sell it. I am absolutely heartbroken. People, what do you think is the best move to make in this situation?