bobsobi

1999 ES300, 115,000 miles Regular gas, tires @ 34psi Strictly local = ~20mpg Typical 70/30 local/hwy mix (suburban Long Island) = ~22mpg Hwy, w/AC & cruise set @ 73mph = 30mpg

1999. I wound up buying mine off my subvented lease as I couldn't accept what they did to the exterior. The redesign has more than a few whiffs of Ford Taurus about it, and I can't get past those bulging, stretched headlights. On the other hand, I wish I had the new one's interior! Thought I sat down in an LS the first time I checked it out. The ride and the exterior were enough to turn me off, however. I'll stick with my 20th-century ride!

When I first got my 1999 ES (after having a 1995 Camry SE) I noticed a faint wobble or hesitation at around 45mph once the transmission OD locked up. It was like I was on uneven pavement, but it was on roads I knew to be smooth. At highway speeds around 70 mph, I also noticed a very slight vibration in the wheel. I was a bit annoyed as the Camry had always been absolutely glass-smooth under the same conditions. I first thought it was possibly an out-of-round tire. But after having a mechanic friend verify the tires were all perfect, I returned to the dealer. After driving two other ESs with roughly the same mileage as mine (~1200 mi), it became evident that the ES transmission was not the same as the Camry's - here's one case where I wish it was just a gussied-up Camry! The upshot: the Service Manager apologized and said that it was an "operating characteristic" of the transmission. I have since gotten used to it, as there are so many other things about the car that I love!