To Buy or Not to Buy?

[124spider]

Not sure I am sold on the new matrix. I love the look of the new design. The body lines are just awesome.....takes the car out of the "slightly sporty small wagon" category into something totally different (visually) in my opinion. (well...at least when its fitted with larger alloy wheels....steel wheels and caps are lousy looking imo)

But, it seems most of the "reviews" I've read are ho-hom at best if not downright negative (heavier, mpg, etc). That being said, I realize that most of these "reviewers" seem to want every mass-production auto to handle like a hand build italian roadster....so their opinions are sometimes not practical.

I am inclined towards the larger motor, but the mpg's of the 1.8 are a better sell for me. I've not driven a new 1.8 yet.....have driven the 2.5 (manual) and liked it. Drove a certified 1.8 manual XR (08) and liked it as well (unfortunately that car sold). Seemed peppy enough....but the new one is 5 or 6 hundred pounds heavier isn't it?

I guess the reason they only offer the base matrix with the 1.8 is weight....the added few pounds of the S package would probably really make the 1.8 sluggish.

Any thoughts? Thanks all....

[jdhog]

Seems to me most of the negative comments have come from people who just dropped into the forum to post the first thing that came into their small minds...... Let's face it, people don't always like change when it first happens, I remember not liking the Red Hot Chili Peppers album, blood sugar sex magic when it first came out, but it grew on me!

The mpgs of the 1.8 is what sold it for me also, I thought what's the point of going for a mid size car that still drinks quite a bit. If I wanted something quick I probably would have gone for a Rabbit or Mazda3. I test drove all before buying the Matrix. I needed something I can use as my daily driver and also hold the family including my 2 year old in his baby seat when needed. The 1.8 has plenty of power for my needs, I like being able to thrash around town and not care about guzzling gas.

The only things that I would say are negatives:

-Blind Spots (helps to get those small mirrors stick to the wing mirrors)
-1.8 does not have the folding flat front seat.

Granted it's not going to handle like a Fiat 124 Sport (or maybe it will, my dad used to have one and it was always parked in the garage with clutch probs) but hey it's a good daily driver and I've had quite a few positive comments from strangers....

Good luck in your decision, don't forget to post some pictures if you get one!

What other rides are you considering?

[matrixgirl09]

I agree. it's a commuter / economy car so I did not buy it for speed.

I did test drive the S model but am glad I bought the base model for the gas mileage (and price, the s model was really stretching my budget) . The only thing missing is the VSC but I don't think that is required for a small car at this point. I never came close to rolling over my SUV. Most of the time speed plays a role in that.

[124spider]

Thanks. (my Fiat Spider has its share of problems on ocassion too!!!! lol! Neato that someone here recognized my moniker!)

At any rate, I was moreso referring to reviews on other pages....not just paragraph reviews here. I thinkl one I read was on e-pinions, another perhaps on edmunds.com, etc.

Frankly, I'm not reallly considering any other vehicle! It's more a toss-up between a low mileage used 07 or 08 certified Matrix if I can find one....a new 1.8 or new 2.4 (maybe if I stall long enough I'll be able to find a certified 09 Matrix!) We own a certified 08 Corolla S and love it! I'm a big fan of the toyota certified warranty and their all-around quality in general.

Basically, I've taken a job that has me working out of town. I need to be able to haul a little bit of gear from time to time. Aside from the 4-8 hour drive initially, its mostly short commutes from a hotel....then back home about every three weeks (currently still driving my Ford E250 van with a 5.4L!!!....mpg's are killing me!) So any thing with good mpg is gonna be an improvment even the 2.4!

Decisions....decisions....

[jdhog]

Sounds to me like you're leaning towards the bigger engine, which will be good for hauling some gear, with the hatchback and fold down seat including front seat you will be able to fit quite a bit in. That's what I love about hatchbacks, I used to have a VW Golf which I loved and the Matrix is great as well, I recently fit in some 9' lengths of trim for redoing my wood floors no problem.

A few weeks back there was a certified 09 S down here but I checked last night and it's gone....oh well. If you get the previous gen you will also get the popping open rear window which is no longer offered on the new gen. It's up to you now if you want the 'slightly sporty small wagon' or the 'visually awesome body lines'

I took a look on edmunds at the 09 reviews and at a score of 9.0 most of the reviews I read seemed very positive.

[124spider]

Well, I put a deposit on an 08 XR 5 speed manual Certified with about 10,500 miles. Haven't seen it yet....only a couple mediocre photos from the salesmans' phone. But, at $17900 I think I'm doing pretty good. Apparently it was driven by the 50-something yr. old wife of the dealer.

The best part is that it is in my home town (st. louis...currently working in DesMoines IA and searching for cars all over the midwest to find just the right one!). They are going to hold it for a week which is very cool. There was a similar car in Milwaukee with only 5300 miles for $18995...no budging on that price, and they would only hold it for the amount of time it takes you to drive there.....absolute crappy hold policy!....so, they lost a sale! At 300 miles away....well, this deal is gonna work out perfect since i'm going home next week anyhow!

Hopefully all will be well with the car an I'll report back with some pix!