So, my Mirage has 74,000 miles on it, and I'm 99% sure the CVT fluid has never been changed. I purchased it at 30-40,000 miles. I know now that Jatco CVTs have to be meticulously maintained or they will end themselves, and financially end their negligent owners as well. I used to own a '94 Corolla with 250k on it and was told not to change the transmission fluid in it since it had possible never been changed before. Does this apply to CVTs as well?

My question is, is 74k too many miles to change the fluid? Will I get slippage if I change it at this point? I noticed it's struggling to downshift to the equivalent of "first gear" when I'm stopping so I've been decelerating a lot more slowly since I noticed this. I have the fluid and both filters ordered from eBay and they will be here next week.

I'm also new to actually knowing things about cars, so any explanations of fundamental misunderstandings I may have are certainly appreciated.