2004 Toyota Matrix Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Basic car that I paid 4,800 for and it has been very reliable. It has decent power, good gas mileage and low maintance costs. Peformance wise, its not bad for a little hatchback, it handles well, good brakes, and again, descent power out of a 1.8L. Interior is comfortable, exterior just minor hail damage. I pay about $40 of gas for 500Km which lasts me about two weeks due to school, work and hanging with friends.Feb 15, 2012

purchased vehicle used in 2006.It had 82000 kilometers (49000 miles) on odometer when purchased.Immediately changed oil to Mobil 1 5-W-30 synthetic, drove for a week & changed again.Oil & synthetic filter is changed every 4 months, regardless of mileage, & goes down the width of a toothpick between changes. This is february 2009, there is now 126,400 kilometers (75600 miles) on vehicle & still running like day I bought it! I did change spark plugs (replaced with factory originals)when I purchased it. I quite regularily make a 240 mile trip north form my home, half on 4 & 6 lane hyway & half on 2 lane secondary (paved) roads. 4 lane speeds run from 110 kilo (66app mile per hour) up to 130 kilo (80app mph) & the vehicle handles great. I always average between 40 miles per gallon & 45 miles per gallon on these trips !! I convert litres to gallons using 1 gallon = 4.5 liters, which is very close to an american gallon of liquid! My only complaint? The seat gets a little hard on the derriere on long trips. solution... purchased after market plugin heated seat cushion Insert satisfied smile here ! :) Maintenance... change the oil & filter every 4 months & check tire pressure regularily. install K&N filter, clean & re-oil once a year & save your money! Fun to Drive... Darn straight it is. very decent acceleration (if I wanted to get to 60 miles an hour in 3 seconds, I would have bought a Ferrari) Very stable on hyway with no wandering or lurching around.Steering is fast & accurate(I have General 205-55-16 all season tires, they work just fine for me) & are wearing evenly (rotate every 2nd oil change) I plan on keeping this vehicle forever, & given the performance so far, that seems to be a reality more so than wishful thinking! Recommend to a friend ? Heck... I would recommend it to anyone who wants decent performance, good reliability, & excellent fuel mileage in a daily driver. I am 68 years old, have driven vehicles since I was 12 years old on the farm, have owned a trillion vehicles over all those years. I was an automotive bodyman for over 35 years, so I feel qualified to write a review, & NO, Toyota doesn't even know me, let alone throw a chunk of change my way for this review! (I wish) By the way.. I live in Ontario, Canada, so operating a vehicle in extrems of temperatures is the norm (think 20 below 0 for days at a time, & 80 above in summer !)Feb 10, 2009

I really like my 04 matrix which we purchased used. It is a nice family car. It really has a lot of power for such a small engine. I think the turning radius is pretty bad, small inconveniences like some of the storage bins fall open often and the engine light comes on for ridiculous reasons like the gas cap not being tight enough. Otherwise I love it.Nov 26, 2007