i own a 1995 SL2 and recently the little bushing for the shifter lever broke (at 75K miles). i went to the dealership to buy a new one, only to be told that not only did they NOT sell the bushing separately, but i would also be forced to buy the ENTIRE shifter cable assembly for about $200, just to get the bushing! (i noticed that a few other people on this group have run into the same problem.) whats worse, even if you try and find a used part, the bushing will break if you try and pop it out of the cable eyelet, meaning you would still have to buy the whole cable assembly used, probably for much more than a single bushing would cost (one place i asked charged $60 for the part). and besides, why should i have to replace the cables when theyre doing just fine? talk about your poor designs...
anyway, i found a very low-cost workaround that i thought id share with everyone, in case there are other people like me who refuse to pay out that kind of money for what should be a simple part replacement. heres what i did:
i went to home depot and bought a polypropene fluid connector (Watts PL-3025 PB1068 PolyPro NPTF Male Connector 3/8" x 1/4"). as im currently in the process of moving, the only tools i had at my disposal were screwdrivers, pliers, a hammer, and a razor knife, but they were adequate for the task (meaning this is a very low-tech fix). i whacked off the threaded end of the connector with a flathead screwdriver and the hammer and used the razor knife to trim it flush. then i pulled out and discarded the little insert (youll see what i mean if you look at the part) and whittled away at the outer ring with the razor knife until it fit in the shifter cable eyelet. after that i stuck one of the plier heads into the hole and twirled it around in a circle, using the rough edges of the plier head to carve out the insides until i could get it to pop onto the shifter levers ball joint. finally, i cut a 1" square chunk from the polyvinyl baggie the part came packaged in and used that as a shim. polyvinyl grips almost as well as rubber, so it fits very snugly (in fact, i couldn't get it on alone; my wife and i had to push together on opposite sides using our combined force to get it to pop on), but still moves freely within the socket (because of the hollowing out id done earlier). it seems to hold really well and shifts good, and the total cost to me was $2.36 (before tax) and about 4 hours spent whittling and screwing around with the part.
hope this helps another person in need!