2002 626 will not shift into gear

a dear friend of mine has a 2002 mazda 626 automatic, 4 cyl. they were in a turn lane on a highway and put it in park to wait and when they went to move it would not move into any gear besides park or neutral.. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated cause some mechanic is trying to tell them it will be $3000 to replace it which I think is ridiculous