As I described last week, I soured pretty quickly on my 2002 Camry because of cost and quality issues. For whatever reasons, that particular car mistake got in my head more than just about any other bad decision I made. After about 8 months of grumbling about the car, I was ready to take just about anything if I could rid myself of that Camry. Luckily, I found a vehicle that was inexpensive enough and fun enough that I could be happy moving on.
Despite not liking the Camry and being somewhat dissatisfied with the leasing price structure at Toyota, I was still pretty much confining myself to that company’s products. Given that I was likely to lose a bundle on the Camry after only having it for 8 months, I had to confine myself to the lower end of the Toyota line. I quickly discarded the tiny Echo as it would have been too much of a change in equipment and performance. The Corolla was a possibility (and a safe one at that) but I wanted something a little more exciting.
The car that fit the bill best for me was the Matrix 5-door hatchback, which was new for 2003. Based on the proven Corolla platform, the basic vehicle was shared (interestingly enough) with General Motors as the Pontiac Vibe. The collaboration between Toyota and GM on the Matrix/Vibe was associated with the NUMMI joint venture dating back to the Corolla/Nova in the mid-1980s, but only the Vibe was produced at the NUMMI plant in California – the Matrix was produced at Toyota’s Cambridge, Ontario plant. The only visible evidence in the Matrix of the GM connection was the use of then-current GM stereo units in place of similar Toyota units.
Some consider this to be one of the first “compact crossovers” because of its relatively tall wagon shape and reconfigurable interior. The rear cargo area was flat and contained a cargo track system for securing cargo. The rear seats both folded down, as did the front passenger seat, to produce a fairly large cargo area for a relatively small vehicle. One novel feature that Toyota played up was the availability of a 115-volt AC outlet in the dash for a laptop computer or (as shown in the brochure) a DJ setup. It wasn’t the mythical enthusiast “brown manual diesel wagon” but it wasn’t that far off.
Similar to crossovers of today, the Matrix came in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive versions, with AWD intended more for improved handling during poor weather conditions than for off-road trail busting. With a 130-hp 1.8 liter 4-cylinder engine from the Corolla under the hood, there wasn’t much power available for Rubicon Trail navigation anyway – I would characterize the performance as “adequate” at best, even with the 5-speed manual transmission I chose.
To keep the costs reasonable but not make my new ride a plastic-wheel-cover penalty box, I picked the mid-level Matrix XR 2WD model with a 5-speed manual and several “sport packages” that gave me a power sunroof, 16-inch alloy wheels, and “ground effects” add-ons front and rear. My car also had the optional (?) cruise control and the aforementioned GM stereo, in my case a 6-disc in dash CD changer. As I was eager to trade cars, I picked the particular car off the lot at the big-box Toyota retailer as I didn’t want to wait for something else coming in future shipments. The dealer was willing to deal on this car as well, as I was looking to buy the car just after the major President’s Day blizzard of February 2003 which left several feet of snow on the ground (you can still see a bunch of snow in the photos I took of the car just after I bought it). The dealer was eager to get rid of some inventory just so they could maneuver cars around the enormous snow piles more easily. My car had already seen some damage due to the snowstorm because those ground effects add-ons were quite low and some lot jockey had already dragged the front bumper over a curb and scuffed the bumper underneath. Given that the dealer was willing to package up a deal for me to take the Camry and put me in a Matrix (in a purchase this time, not a lease) with a price that wasn’t heart-stopping, I decided a few scuffs were a small downside.
The dealer-inflicted scuffs on the front bumper ground effects weren’t the only damage the car sustained during my ownership period. These were low enough that they would drag across virtually any curb or parking stop no matter how careful you tried to be, and eventually this repeated impact would break some of the mounting points. Odds are if you see a Matrix XR or XRS from this generation today, it will be missing at least one of these add-ons (and may be missing all of them). By 2005, Toyota had redesigned the ground effects add-ons to be higher and prevent this kind of damage.
Overall, the car was very pleasant to drive. The relatively large wheels and Corolla underpinnings made for reasonable, if unexciting, handling. As I noted previously, the 1.8 liter engine and 5-speed manual were adequate but not scintillating. AWD models lost 7 horsepower and required a 4-speed automatic, and the combination of those two drivetrain changes would have made the performance unacceptable to me, I think. I found the car very versatile and useful – as I recall, we purchased more than a few long items from the hardware store by folding down the front passenger seat and the passenger half of the rear seat. This still left an open seat for a second passenger behind the driver – a better compromise than leaving my wife behind at the store while I ran home with the supplies!
This car was the first of many cars that I have owned that used paint protection film rather than a front end mask for rock chip prevention. For whatever reason, Toyota only offered a partial front end mask for the Matrix that didn’t cover the front bumper, so I found a company that sold do-it-yourself protection film kits that were reasonably priced (on the order of $300 for the whole front end, as I recall). The instructions made the installation seem relatively simple, but the instruction sheet used an early 1990’s Ford F150 pickup with a flat hood as the installation sample. Of course, the complex curves of the Matrix hood and bumper were quite a bit more difficult to negotiate as the film had to be stretched and pulled quite a bit to fit. I think I did a reasonable job with it, given that I wasn’t a professional installer and it was my first attempt at doing this myself, but I still made quite a few mistakes that required some cutting and repairing. Despite the mistakes, I was (and still am) very happy with the film as a better method for protecting the front of a car as it is virtually invisible, requires no additional maintenance (like drying out front end masks when they got wet), and protected the car in all four seasons (I didn’t use the front end masks in the winter as I was concerned they would get salt and road grit trapped under the mask and make a worse mess than just leaving the paint unprotected).
Although I was much happier with this car than the Camry, the Matrix didn’t stay around that long either. By 2004, Toyota had developed a vehicle that has become an icon (both good and bad) and I wanted one for myself. A story for another week, though…
These are very practical cars , reliable and durable. It’s a risk to buy the very first MY of a car because there are always bugs to work out. In your case it was the ground effects add-ons and the 5 speed transmission. Since you kept it for a short time only the 5 speed malady did not affect you at all.
Yes – I think I only put about 15-20k on the car before I traded it in, but I do remember hearing about those transmission problems. The ground effects add ons were definitely a problem that I just had to get used to. At least they were high enough that they didn’t scrape on the driveway (our house at the time had a relatively steep transition from the street to the driveway as there were no curb cuts for driveways in our neighborhood).
I loved the idea of the matrix. Did test drive one for a day, but ultimately, couldn’t pull the trigger.
Reading your tales, I’m starting to feel better about my own car-buying habits. 🙂
I’ve come to like the Matrix, while not a fan originally they’ve turned out to be practical, fairly durable vehicles that do a good job at their mission and worthy of respect.
It’s also one of the very rare instances of a rebadge (I know, it’s slightly more than that) where I prefer the exterior styling of the Pontiac Vibe version. I think it has to do with that cars somewhat sharper angles on the body. I recall once seeing a car transporter heading south from the Bay Area where they were produced with a load of what looked like the Pontiacs but were labeled as Toyotas, which I thought were for the Mexico market but now I can’t seem to find any evidence of that. They did make them in RHD for the Japanese market and labeled them as Toyota Voltz but with the entire Pontiac body so perhaps that’s what I saw instead.
Glad I can be helpful (or a cautionary tale). This stretch in the early 2000s was a time when I wasn’t happy with anything I bought. It does get better (or worse, depending on your point of view) later in the 2000s when I settled on some cars that I liked.
You remind me of a family friend from my youth. He liked expensive cars but bought them used and kept them for a long time. Even when he hated them. He was a dedicated GM guy and after a series of Olds 98s he bought a used 75 or 76 Caprice 4 door hardtop. He hated it. Every time I saw him (we always talked cars) he told me how much he hated it. But he wouldn’t trade it because he was tight as a new boot and that would cost him too much money. I was always the opposite – life’s too short to drive something you hate.
Like Jim Klein, I have come to a late appreciation for the Matrix and Vibe. I would have probably ended up with the Vibe too. Partially for the looks but partially because the slower sales (and a nearly new Camry coming in on trade) might have made for a more attractive deal. It’s all about the deal. 🙂
I’m guessing the next entry will be a Gen 2 Prius…
That or an xB.
*Spoiler alert* – you are correct! The entry will probably be the week after next, but that is the next car in the line. The xB was certainly on the shopping list at this point but my wife didn’t like the box as much as I did.
I like the Matrix, but would have been sorely tempted by the Vibe’s styling. Like a few others here, I would have had to weigh the slightly higher resale of the Toyota against the better looks of the Pontiac.
I always thought the Matrix and the Vibe were assembled in the same factory, I wasn’t aware that only the Vibe was assembled by NUMMI.
If I were buying one of these, I’d look for a Matrix XRS or Vibe GT with the Camry 2.4 engine and 5 speed transmission. Not sure, but would probably look for a 2nd generation model, too.
Would rather have one of these instead of a RAV4.
Another neat feature of this generation of Matrix is that the glass window on the rear hatch can be opened.
I had forgotten that was the case – that was certainly a handy feature for dropping a bag of groceries or two in the back.
I used to Zipcar a Matrix in my neighborhood before I married into a car. It was a complete rattletrap- I was shocked as it was the first Toyota I had ever driven and given their reputation I had expected better. However that was probably its status as a rental car more than any innate quality or design issues that caused its condition.
I wonder if the rattles can be attributed to the extensive use of what might be considered low-grade plastic? Maybe not down to the level of a Dodge Caliber, but getting there.
Those quibbles aside, I more preferred the Matrix’ twin, the Pontiac Vibe. Besides having a better overall execution, I always thought it was one of the best ways to get Toyota-level quality without having to pay Toyota prices, a latter-day NUMMI Chevy Nova. The Vibe was an eminently practical, reliable car that an empty-nester could afford (especially after the GM incentives and rebates). I really miss the NUMMI cars, particularly the ones that were branded either Chevrolet or Pontiac.
But stay away from the 5-speed versions…
Most likely some exterior body panels like the bumpers, the under tray and inner fenders were loose. The plastic cargo area is acting like an amplifier to such rattles.
Wolfgang, you’re most likely absolutely correct. Plus there were probably some relatively loose interior panels in the rear hatch area. Zipcars are rented by the hour and I’m sure people don’t take the best care of them.
The Mini Coopers I would rent, though, were always in tip-top shape and the reason I ended up leasing one myself. Definitely anecdotal evidence, but maybe the Mini renters tended to take better care of their rentals because the car had more personality, where the Matrix was for more appliance-minded folks.
I should have added that to my original comment- the interior definitely looked like Body by Rubbermaid.
When I first met my wife she had a Solara convertible, and the interior quality between the two cars was night and day.
I knew an retired gentleman that for 20 years or so, like clockwork, would but a new white Firebird. Strangely enough, when the F-bodies were retired he ended up in a white Vibe.
I had a 2009 Pontiac Vibe. It was very versatile and I got a lot of stuff in it.
I think had you kept the 2003 Matrix, you might have had a different view of it. The 2003 Matrix and Vibe had the dubious distinction of having the 5 speed manual transmission being vastly more unreliable then the automatic. The 6 speed ones were good but the 5 speed manual transmissions were junk in 2003-2004. They finally fixed them in 2005.
I understand your issue with the Camry. My first actual Toyota branded product(The Vibe still was a Pontiac in name and badge) and now my last one, annoyed me from almost the first month of owning it and I ended up dumping it and losing a bit of money but in the end I felt a lot of satisfaction knowing I did not own it anymore.
I am gonna guess that you bought a Prius? Perhaps a silver Prius? I have never had hate of the actual car (they are a tech marvel) however in Howard County MD, the two kinds of vehicles that you are most likely to find pulling out in front of you, cutting you off or tailgating are SUVs and the Toyota Prius
On another topic, you seem to go through a lot of cars and yet your neighbor seems to have hung on to that first generation Camry.
I’m dying to,see how long the neighbor keeps the 1st generation Camry…it’s the first thing I look for when this series pops up. I was disappointed not to see it this time due to slightly different photo angles but that other neighbor’s Nissan Stanza almost makes up for it…now I’ll be looking for that one as well.
When Toyota introduced these and announced that the XRS would share the 2ZZ-GE motor and six-speed manual from the then current Celica GT-S, I strongly considered it as a replacement for my 1995 Celica GT. As much as I loved my previous generation, the final Celicas were noticeably less refined and felt cheap (to be fair, they were less expensive). I loved the Cosmic Blue available, and thought the added practicality would be perfect at the time. Then I drove one. Major disappointment. Too much weight and the very high powerband range completely zapped the nimble, swift feeling the Celica GT-S possessed. Sporty it was not. What looked really appealing on paper did not translate in the real world in ways I have rarely encountered since.
My dad was a Toyota salesman around 2004, and liked these first-generation Matrixes so much that he began looking for one toward the end of this version’s lifecycle, in 2008, and I think he was even looking for an XRS with the manual transmission. What did the lovable oaf buy instead? A Dodge Caliber SXT. That turned out to be the worst car ever.
I like the first-gen Matrix, but the second one definitely lost the plot in terms of styling. And as far as the Vibe and its GM head units, I think the (rare) units that came with navigation…got said navigation system from Toyota.
Lemme guess. Your subsequent vehicle was the renowned second-generation Prius?
Wow, to go from a Toyota to a Caliber is a hell of a jump. Hope at least he got a good deal on it.
My uncle was a Buick salesman in the 80s and 90s but after he quit and had to buy his own car, he got a Lincoln and Aurora, then it’s been foreign models ever since.
I am betting on the Scion xB. I was shopping for a Prius in 2005 but the price was a bit of a reach for us. When our salesman tossed me the keys to the xB I was hooked in the first three minutes. I loved that xB and kept it 4 years (long for me).
I enjoy following your purchases and choices. Your strories bring up memories of all the cars I have owned and the reason(s) I traded each one. My wife thinks I am a nut because we have had 47 cars since 1980! I thought I was the only guy on the planet that trades cars like most of us change socks.
So my question to the readers of this column is: how many cars have you had and how often have you changed? I might hold some kind of record as I actrually bought two new cars in 1981-seven months apart. I bought a new 1981 Malibu in January and hated it so much I sold it to a secretary at the school I taught at and purchased a new Dodge Colt in August. I have traded 1 year old cars on next year’s model and actually traded a one year old new car for an 8 year old used model.
I’ll give you a hint: I change my socks more often than the cars.
These and the Corolla S flew off the lot in the early 00s. Always a “mini” deal too. Every one.
I bought a 2006 Matrix new (base model – automatic). Drove it hard until texting SUV driver rear-ended me in winter 2017. Car was repairable but insurance totaled it. I was disappointed that I couldn’t find anything similar now. It was one of the few small cars that could comfortably haul my double bass. Now it has to dangle out the rear of my Hyundai.
It came down to Matrix and xB in 2006 – wife convinced me that Matrix was a better idea (“Who’s ever heard of Scion?”).
They came and took my totaled car away while I was in a short nap, so I didn’t get to say goodbye. Guess who I passed on the bridge the next morning on the way to work? Farewell old girl, you were a decently-reliable workhorse for over a decade.
(Yep, she’s missing all 4 hubcaps, as are most of these that I see. She actually lost 6, as a friend lost two from hers and gave me her remaining pair.)
I had my 2003 Vibe for 12 years and would probably still have it, had not my mother passed and I suddenly had a surplus of cars.
Mine was bulletproof the entire time I owned it and I never had the issue with the 5-speed manual that others are referencing. No trouble at all.
It was a reasonably fun car to drive, got great gas mileage, and could hold an enormous amount of stuff. I thought the styling aged very well (never cared for the awkward look of the Matrix), but the 2nd generation was awful. They lowered the height, cheapened the interior and made it look like a tank. Really ruined a great vehicle.
I have a 2016 Mazda CX-5 now, which I generally love, but I still miss:
1. The fold-flat front passenger seat (incredibly useful for a huge variety of stuff)
2. The flip-up rear glass (it’s a crime that so many makes have gotten rid of this)
3. The AC power outlet ( this was VERY useful during our trio of Florida hurricanes in 2004).
The Matrix/Vibe were an example of some really great ideas, well-executed, at a reasonable price. Quite a good value, and you still see tons of them on the road.