So, my check engine light turned on in January 07 for my 95 es300 with 210,100 miles, and has been on intermittently for the last 8 months. I've finally gotten the time to take it to a toyota dealer for diagnosis. I got the code, P0770 Shift Solenoid E Malfunction, which is caused by little peices of metal in the tranny b/c of wear and tear. Anyways, I need a new transmission.
They estimated $2793 (and 44 cents) for the rebuilt tranny which is special ordered through Lexus (WTH, same tranny as the camry though??)
And $960 for labor.
That comes to about $3,800 More than the car's worth.

I am planning on keeping this car for another 8 years (or until it completely breaks down)..but will buy a newer car (thinking 99 gs400) during college.

What other options are there for fixing this? Should i just drive the car as it is now? (hasn't giving me any problems yet)
Replace with a used tranny, at a smaller independently owned/operated store?
Should i rebuild it?

Even at 210,100 miles, the car looks only 1/2 the age..don't wanna let it go yet.

 

buy a used tranny and install, should be less than 1k total.

drive it till it dies, dont change anything. you can find es3s for 2k or so, i wouldnt put any money into it.

 

I'll look into replacing the tranny, since My family has owned this car since it was brand new (which was $38,000 in 95) so selling it would = huge losses in terms of depreciation.
Anyways, I'm still wondering which is better,
1. Used Tranny with low miles
2. Rebuilt Tranny.
3. Rebuild existing tranny.
Also, the Camry tranny is exactly the same as the es300 one's right? or is it tuned differently?

 

are there any other symptoms besides the warning light (i.e. how is the vehicle driving ?)

I've had a transmission solenoid go bad in a Toyota Camry, would not shift properly. I dropped the pan and removed the solenoid, one or two screws and one connector - no other transmission dissambly needed. Cleaned out the valve portion of the solenoid with a few cents of spray cleaner. Fixed the problem, no trouble for many years. Whole job took less than one hour

Not saying that my experience is applicable to you but certainly something to consider. 210,100 is getting up there by anybodies standard so hard to say.

 

I'm running on an original, never rebuilt tranny (which has 211,000 miles).
It has been shifting weirdly, today, my car just shuts down as i was backing up and changing the gear. Sometimes, When i come from a complete stop, i press the gas down, but it feels like i'm in neutral, and the engine just revs a little...then after like 3 seconds, the gears finally engages and i can move...
It also shifts hard sometimes, or the gears slip.

 

I'd say that tranny is done if its slipping like that. As for what to do, I'm sure I'll be in the same situation in a few years. My car looks absolutely brand new, but how much does a guy want to spend on a older car with 200k + miles. I've already started thinking about it and I'm not sure what I'll do. If the engine is still running well and isn't using an excess amount of oil, it might be worth fixing the transmission. I think a rebuild is probably the way to go. Your never sure what your getting when you get one out of a wreck and a least you'll get a little warranty with the rebuild.

 

My Car is in the shop now!
getting surgery...
It will be a used tranny from an es with 50k miles, should be done tommorrow afternoon.
Parts + Labor = $950

 

I'd say that you are making the right decision going for a used tranny vs rebuilding. Rebuilding at one shop can be different than at another, and there may be other components internal to the transmission showing wear at 210,000 miles. The transmission you're putting in should outlast the rest of the car provided it's a good unit.