I have a 98 sportshift lude with just over 40,000 miles on it.
i got it for $13,000 2 years ago with only 25,000 miles. the tranny problems were a big concern for me too. I have never had a problem with mine though. There is a slight lag when using the sportshift- which is hardly noticeable.
Of all the people i've talked to with the ss lude, the majority have not had a tranny problem. However, people have made websites dedicated to the lude tranny problem so i'd recommend doing a search for one of those for more info (thats what i did when i bought mine)
some signs people mentioned were rough shifting (in sportshift) when the car was cold. but felt fine after warmed up.
and trouble with the shift 1st to 2nd. Those are just a few early signs i remember and have luckily never experienced.
if you do get the car- i also recomend the tranny service (the one thats about $200) that should be done around 30-40k.
hope this helped some.

- Mike