Toyota Matrix

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mycroftt

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Nov 13, 2002
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I'm looking for a small-mid sized reliable car. I like the station wagon configuration. I've been looking at maybe a Toyota Matrix, which fits right in my price range. Any comments, suggestions, rants, etc.? Thanks in advance...
 
My wife has one. Toyotas are very well made cars (in my opinion). The Matrix is a nice little car. It has a nice tight turning radius. The suspension is tuned so it has a harder ride so you feel the bumps in the road more. We get about 24 mpg city/hiway (most of that is city, driving the kids around). I think we got in excess of 30 mpg when we did alot of hiway driving.

We've had it for about two years and only have had to change the oil and wiper blades.

Consumer Reports usually has good information on new and used cars.

Ric
 
I would suggest a Mazda 3 wagon. It's reasonably priced, handle well, and are well-designed. It's also more fun than a Matrix.

If you still want to go the Matrix route, I have friends (in the Cleveland, OH area)who are moving and are trying to sell theirs because the husband was here on assignment and they are now going to Italy for a few years.
 
my wife has a 04 XRS w/6 speed manual tranny, nice car and handles great no problems with ours, nice car, like a race car compared to my pile!
Good luck!
ivan
 
mycroftt said:
I'm looking for a small-mid sized reliable car. I like the station wagon configuration. I've been looking at maybe a Toyota Matrix, which fits right in my price range.
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I understand the Pontiac Vibe is basically the same car under a different badge. I've been told it may cost less depending on local deals and incentives.

Another worth considering is the 3 or 5-door hatchback Ford Focus - it's now a bit old fashioned - but it's been around for over 8 years and it was designed as a true "world" car for economy, and everything was engineered for easy/cheap maintenance. Again end of year incentives (like $2,500 off) may make it worth considering.

Comparison between Vibe, Matrix and Focus at MSN

Hope some of this helps,

EDIT to ADD -
there was a Ford Focus thread previously that might be useful -

Anybody got a Ford Focus?

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UnknownVT said:
I understand the Pontiac Vibe is basically the same car under a different badge.
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This is exactly correct. My next door neighbor is a Pontiac mechanic and rates the Vibe and the Matrix as an excellent vehicle. We bought one two years ago and it was a great car. Two tips: - If you are a Costco member, go to your local dealership and ask for the fleet price. We saved about $2K just by being a Costco member. My work also has employee fleet pricing with all the major car manufacturers, so maybe check your employer to see if they have something like this. - Replace the factory tires immediately if you get a new one. They are horrible; you are lucky if you get 15k out of them.
 
A friends son has a Matrix, and he usually kills cars pretty quick. So far in the 3 years he's had the Matrix, nothing has gone wrong with it even though the young idiot drives it like he stole it.

I think Toyota and Honda make the most realiable cars on the road.
 
ORIZONDO said:
Subarus Check Them Out Very Good
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Third! The Impreza wagon may work for you, but be advised the 2008 Impreza wagon will be replaced by a 4-dr hatch that is similar to the Matrix. I have a 2002 Impreza WRX wagon, and I will keep it until it dies. It is fun to drive, and very utilitarian. The Forester and Legacy/Outback wagons are very nice, too.

But Toyota does make a nice car. My buddy's wife has a Matrix, and they like it a lot. He has a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX wagon.
 
You could also take a look at a used, previous generation CRV.
I have one from 2002 - more interior space than a jeep grand cherokee, great rear seat legroom, easy to park, good saftey record, also AWD...

A woman I work with has a matrix -- its a very nice car as well though.
 
i also recommend a subaru impreza wagon. they're not attractive to everyone, but they are fun to drive, AWD, and safe and reliable cars.
 
As said, the Pontiac Vibe is the same as the Matrix. It also rates almost exactly the same in Consumer Reports. I'd totally go with the Vibe....I'll bet you could get a hellova deal on a used one...go for around 2+ years old with around 40K miles or less and you'll be sittin high for a great price ;)
 
My Mom has a Matrix. I've taken it on a couple of cross country trips. It's a nice little car. Handles well, lots of room, good gas mileage. I trust Toyotas for longevity. The down side for me is that it's a little under-powered. Good initial pick-up, but it lags some on long hills. Also it is a little louder than ideal, but that is pretty standard in this price range. All in all a fine compact car.

Jack
 
Have you seen the new xB yet? I'm in a Scion tC, and I love it. The xB is 1200 lbs lighter than my car and has the same engine... Supposedly it's a little peppier than the matrix as well.
 
I have read and considered everyone's input. thanks for the help, fellas, it is greatly appreciated. Now here's what I did:

I went to the Toyota dealership and sat in a Corolla and a Matrix. My shoulders struck the doorframe as I tried to shoehorn myself into the Corolla. The Matrix was a bet better but still not real comfortable for me. Then I tried a Scion xB - that's the one shaped like a box on wheels. For the 2008 models they stretched the back about 10 inches and it comes standard with a 2.4 liter 16 valve engine - the same engine that is in my wife's Camry. Because it's longer and they eased the lines a bit, it doesn't appear as boxy as the previous models. The first thing I noticed was it had so much headroom I could wear a top hat driving it. It seemed to have a good horsepower to weight ration with decent gas mileage. It has 4 doors which is a must for carpooling. It has a tight turning radius and the setup is a bit stiff but not like driving a pickup. It is surprisingly quiet. All things considered. I thought it was a good deal at $17.3K so I drove it off the lot.
 
I rented a Vibe a few weeks ago, which is the same car as the Matrix.

Overall I was satisfied with the vehicle.

Whilst pushing it through some twisty roads I was happy to notice that the handling didn't go completely to hell as it often does with cars in this market segment. It wasn't particularly dynamic, but it also was happy enough to play along and didn't give a "Stop it - you're killing me" vibe like many other economy cars do under similar circumstances.

The interior is serviceable and well laid-out but made out of cheap plastics and put together somewhat poorly. For example, there was a piece of gaffer's tape covering up a hole at the bottom of the arm rest storage bin. Things wiggled and wobbled and didn't really have any sort of positive feedback when operated. Not horrible, just par for the course when it comes to cheap cars.

Power was underwhelming, but adequate. It doesn't really accelerate, per se, as much as it sort of struggles up to speed complete with lots of shaking and bad noises. Once again, par for the course for cheap cars. Much better than some other vehicles I could think of.

If you're looking for reliable and functional transportation the Matrix/Vibe will probably do you just fine if you aren't too concerned about interior build quality or acceleration. It should be reliable - it's a Toyoter.

I'd buy a Matrix over a Vibe. It'll cost more up front, but you'll make it back on resale due to the strength of the Toyota brand.

I'd buy a 10 year old Jaguar or BMW or Mercedes or Lexus or Lincoln over either one of them. It'll be faster, safer, more dynamic, nicer feeling, nicer looking, better equipped, but less efficient and less reliable. A worthy tradeoff in my mind, but I'm an enthusiast of sorts. YMMV.
 
fishbulb said:
I rented a Vibe a few weeks ago, which is the same car as the Matrix.

Overall I was satisfied with the vehicle.

Whilst pushing it through some twisty roads I was happy to notice that the handling didn't go completely to hell as it often does with cars in this market segment. It wasn't particularly dynamic, but it also was happy enough to play along and didn't give a "Stop it - you're killing me" vibe like many other economy cars do under similar circumstances.

The interior is serviceable and well laid-out but made out of cheap plastics and put together somewhat poorly. For example, there was a piece of gaffer's tape covering up a hole at the bottom of the arm rest storage bin. Things wiggled and wobbled and didn't really have any sort of positive feedback when operated. Not horrible, just par for the course when it comes to cheap cars.

Power was underwhelming, but adequate. It doesn't really accelerate, per se, as much as it sort of struggles up to speed complete with lots of shaking and bad noises. Once again, par for the course for cheap cars. Much better than some other vehicles I could think of.

If you're looking for reliable and functional transportation the Matrix/Vibe will probably do you just fine if you aren't too concerned about interior build quality or acceleration. It should be reliable - it's a Toyoter.

I'd buy a Matrix over a Vibe. It'll cost more up front, but you'll make it back on resale due to the strength of the Toyota brand.

I'd buy a 10 year old Jaguar or BMW or Mercedes or Lexus or Lincoln over either one of them. It'll be faster, safer, more dynamic, nicer feeling, nicer looking, better equipped, but less efficient and less reliable. A worthy tradeoff in my mind, but I'm an enthusiast of sorts. YMMV.
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you're a little late, he already got the scion. ;)
 
I know, but in 4 months when somebody's looking for input on a Matrix they'll be able to dig this up and read it. My thoughts on a passable economy hatchback don't really warrant a whole new thread, but this seems like a nice place to put them for future reference.
 
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