2009 Toyota Matrix

I purchased my 2009 Toyota Matrix in August of 2008. Since then, I have put about 7,000 miles on it and I absolutely love driving it. I had been looking for a used Matrix for a while, but when my wife and I went in to a local dealership to check out their used inventory, we saw this bright orange (Sundance Metallic they call it) Matrix in the showroom. With their sleek, black interior, and beautiful exterior lines, the 2009 Matrixes are a sight to behold. We fell in love immediately. I opted for the 5 speed as I have always preferred the extra get-up-and-go that stick shifts provide, especially on compact cars. I love the position of the gear shifter; it’s located forward of where it would be on most other cars, and it’s very comfortable t use. We also opted to get the 2.4L equipped Matrix S; with this larger engine, the Matrix can really make a nice start off the line. The gas mileage is about 25 miles per gallon in the city and about 27 on the highway, which for a small station wagon, or sport wagon, is not bad at all. What do I like most about this car? Toyotas run forever. I am a loyal Toyota customer. I drove a 1995 Celica for years, and even when it had well over 100,000 miles, I never had to take it in for anything other than routine maintenance. With the Matrix, I especially like the look of the car (interior and exterior), the roominess of the cabin and cargo area, and the smoothness of the ride. First of all, the look: as I already mentioned, the car looks sleek; it has a very modern look and I don’t see a whole lot of them around, so I’m always getting looks from other drivers. Second, the roominess: the driver and passenger have plenty of leg room to stretch out. This car would even be comfortable for taller drivers. While the leg room in the rear is not great, it’s still better than it is on most cars. Also, when you fold down the rear seats, you can fit a ton of cargo in the back. By wife and I have driven the Matrix on extended road trips and have had more than ample space. Finally, the smoothness of the ride: the ride is quite, there is enough power for the car to feel sporty, and it’s, overall, just a really fun car to drive. What do I not like about this car? The factory stereo looks great the way it’s inlayed in the dash, but there’s no way to replace it with an aftermarket system without it looking awful. That being said, the factory sound system is acceptable—nothing more, just acceptable. Also, the textured dashboard looks really good, but it collects dust and is hard to clean because of the texture. Never try to Armor All the dash; it will just end up making a mess. Bottom line? I love this car. I love the way it looks. I love the way it drives. I would buy it again in a heartbeat. I have never had any issues with it. I would definitely recommend it for families, or just people looking for a car with a little extra room (for kayaks, bikes, camping equipment, etc.). We took some nice pictures driving across Southern California and the car made it into almost all of them!