[DapperDan]

Thank you for all the replies.
I think my question has been answered, by the history-of-toyota information especially. Just not a good year - heavy car, inefficient drivetrain (a 5 speed would have been better, but again, I didn't pick this car out, it sort of fell into my lap).

To address other issues raised - my commute is part city, part interstate. I have to sit at lights for a few minutes on either end, and on the return trip have some traffic. New Jersey is a densely populated area (my part of it anyway) so there isn't always much you can do. Shutting the car off when possible doesn't make much difference, neither does driving with the terrain. On a strictly highway trip, I'm lucky to hit 28 mpg.
I know how to drive for efficiency - I drive a tractor trailer for a living, and in an industry that averages 5 -6 mpg, I'm proud to get 7.5 - 8. Different kind of driving, but some of the same principles apply.

The '99 Camry isn't that big. About the size of what a Corolla is now. I know by global standards it's bigger than we think it is here in America, but still if you get a measuring tape out it's not that much bigger than a compact. The Camry that's out now is definitely larger. Toyotas have gotten larger generally - the '91 corolla I had was practically a golf cart, and like I said, somehow burnt fuel like a much larger car (was also, unfortunately, an automatic). The Crown Victoria shown above, now that is a big car - and gets almost the same mileage I'm getting!

Selling the car would mean buying a new one - the savings in gas would take awhile to recoup the purchase price of the new one. Besides, someone else would be driving this one, probably getting worse fuel mileage than I do. Junking it would mean a new car would have to be manufactured, which is worse for the environment than keeping an older one running for it's maximum lifespan.

Thanks for the info, looking forward to doing more reading on here. I'll squeeze a few more tablespoons of gas out of this thing somehow