Quality, reliabilty. I have long been a believer in Toyota quality (as stated above, my 1993 Corolla has 173,000 miles on it and I drive it too work often to go on a site to abattre un arbre. There are no oil leaks in my driveway from it either). Good looks, great handling, excellent value for the money. I would buy another.

None yet. I am concerned about the chrome finish that I am hearing about having a peeling problem. But, if that is all that I have to worry about...what a relief!! That's much better than the transmission nightmare I was about to have to deal with on my old Bravada.$$$$$

This is the BEST car I have ever owned (I've had 4 other Toyotas, 4 VW's and 2 Jeep 4x4's). Although I miss the "view" of driving a SUV - I have so much fun driving my 2009 Matrix! She's sporty, zippy, comfortable and the perfect size for me. I traded my 2000 Jeep Cherokee Sport for this Matrix - it has just as much interior space as the Jeep. The gas mileage is superb - I'm getting at least 30/35 mpg - and instead of filling up every week as I did with the Jeep - I'm filling up every two weeks with a total savings of over $50 per month just in gas. I give this car a "5" rating because I am just so happy with the overall performance!

The only CON I think of is the fact that I don't qualify for "typical" oil change specials. I am a AAA member and have their Car Care Center do all the maintenance. I need a "special" oil filter which needs to be "ordered" from a local distributor. This takes time and a few extra dollars to install. I would go to the Toyota dealership directly, but it's too far away for me to consider it a "quick" errand and I have found that the dealership charges a bit more. As a AAA member, I believe it's a small price to pay and the specials they offer out-weigh the cons.

As stated above, this is a fantastic automobile for any age - kids going off to college, small families, sales representatives and anyone driving to and from work every day. It has plenty of storage, with or without the seats down. I can even envision, in a few years, a couple of puppies riding in the back seat! I am actually proud to own this vehicle because it's so affordable and it's an extremely practical investment. I feel I got my "cake" (and eat it too) with this purchase!

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Jeep Cherokee Sport

Plenty of space, peppy, ease of entry and exit from front and rear seats - better than any of the other similar vehicles, EZ to park, handles very well in traffic, EZ to load and unload payload, fuel economy is excellent.

Honestly, we've had ours since new in '06 - we're at just under 60k miles, we looked at more expensive vehicles with many other creature comforts and are still of the opinion we do not see any weakness. If a person wants V6 power (sure can't imagine why though because the Matrix handles every task effortlessly!) - go with the RAV4.

All in all an excellent and high quality vehicle. Te press are having a hey day with these Toyota's now days - but Toyota (Lexus) have been setting the standards of quality and value for many years and we don't see them allowing their reputation falter. America is finally waking up to the facts we do look for quality and resale when we purchase. Personally I am happy to see America - Ford and GM are finally paying attention to statistics. Now, all they have to do is continue impressing the American buyer and we'll probably go back to our first automotive love - GM and FORD.

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none

Spacious, good gas mileage, Sporty,

Blind spot took some gettin use to. It doesn't have the zip going up hills as I would like.

This is the smallest auto I've ever owned, but we were looking for good gas mileage. We considered the Prius but the Matrix was more in our price range and considering we got it in the "KLUNKER" deal, we really got it for $13,000. We have taken several long trips and found it very comfortable. With bikes on the back and a cargo box on the top, the gas mileage was still pretty good. For being my very first "new" car, I am pleased.

Great pick up, easy to manuver, sound system is clear, easy to adjust seats, mirrors,good gas millage. Just now have to replace breaks and tires.

Dislike the red lights on dash for radio, would have better cleared to read in green or white.Seat belt buzzer is annoying tone

I love this car! It has got great storage space in back for baseball equipment, camping etc.Very sporty inside and out, lots of leg room for all of us who are very tall. Comfortable to drive long distances.

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Toyota Camery 96

Incredible amount of Safety standard, Great premium sound, great handling, good ergonomics, handles Alaska winters wonderfully, stands up to kids abuse (and dads driving) well.

Direct Ipod integration incompatible with JBL premium sound system, road noise with studded tires, hollow sounding doors w/ windows down when you close them. tiny blind spot in the rear, no bike rack offered for the factory roof rack.

Incredible remodel of an already solid car. New, larger engine in the AWD makes a huge difference, no longer is a slow pig in acceleration and at passing. Handling is very nice, the AWD makes it quite fun to drive and the higher HP and Torque contribute to the fun factor as well. It serves as a great people hauler even with me at 6ft and 220lbs driving. The premium JBL sound system is a lot better than I expected and that's saying alot since I used to be a MECP certified audio car installer at a pro shop.

The added convenience of integrated bluetooth as well as all the safety options (traction control, stability control, side impact airbags, head curtain airbags, ABS, etc) on this car made it a no-brainer for this family. Kids love it, wife feels safe and I (who used to sell Toyota's hence the bias) really like the new 09' AWD S Matrix. I can not recommend it enough to anyone wanting a solid, dependable, versatile car, with only very minor quirks.

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05 Ford Focus (@14k miles entire suspension started to go) , 95 Honda civic EX (never a problem with 150k miles +).

Gas mileage is a lot better than the Ford Focus I used to have. Should've been the opposite.

Rides a bit rough over bumpy ground. Can be a bit noisy. The old style clock needs to be placed higher.

Always wanted a hatchback. Lots of room. Wider than I though originally. Handles well and I am still having fun with it. Bought the bumper mat for protection. Doesn't look bad. I had 3 other people with hiking gear and it didn't lose power uphill.

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Ford Focus

Very good handling, very good fuel economy. Like the way it looks. Roomy

A little noisy, somewhat slow on the acceleration.

In a nutshell, this is a very good car. I'm very pleased with it. Came with a very good sound system. ABS, 6-CD changer, sun roof, power windows, power mirrors, alloy wheels; not a problem with any thing.

comfortable; handles well

tire wear problem; flimsy construction (parts fall off); warranty worthless

In conversation with Toyota customer service, I learned that the dealer makes the decision about what is covered by a Toyota warranty. Because the dealer loses money when it has to do warranty work, they are unlikely to agree with the owner that a part or service should be covered. At 3,000 miles the (flimsy plastic) splash shield that forms the left front wheel-well of our Toyota Matrix came loose, was damaged by rubbing the tire. It had to be replaced. Despite the fact that the Toyota website says that "all components other than normal wear and maintenance items" are covered, the dealer claimed that this part was not covered by the warranty, because they have to be replaced "all of the time." (If so, why does Toyota merit even a good repair record?) At 23,000 miles the same splash shield came loose, hit the tire, and was ripped off at highway speed, leaving a large piece of plastic on a busy road, endangering other drivers. When this splash shield fell off, it ripped away the ABS wiring harness, significantly increasing the cost of the repair. And, you guessed it, replacement and repair of none of this is covered by the warranty. I have already posted about the known tire wear problem of the Toyota Matrix, which too is not covered by the warranty, which it seems is entirely worthless.

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Volkswagen, Subaru

Good looking car

Power train is very cheap

Terrible. Manual transmission failed after only 57,000 miles.