The Matrix has provided a comfortable, safe feeling ride since we bought it a couple months ago. It drives smooth, even over the many speed bumps of San Antonio. I don't feel jostled around when driving over bumps. It's also not too low to the ground and doesn't grind when going over speed bumps. This is not a fast accelerating vehicle- making it perfect for new drivers (IE teens!) And those who don't need to get up and go. It does accelerate appropriately for the highway but is far from being a race car. With proper maintenance this has been a reliable car. Less than a day after purchasing it, the transmission light came on, which is normally a major issue. After troubleshooting with at the Toyota dealership, they recommended changing the transmission fluid as a low cost, temporary fix. It turned out the fluid hadn't been changed in what looked like years so this fixed the issue (no light in three months).

I just sold my Matrix XR after 162k trouble free miles. The only problem I ever had with the car was the original battery failing at 6mo. Even normal maintenance was pretty cheap with the car; (obviously oil, belts, coolant, air filters are really time based and don't vary from car to car) the Matrix was very easy on brakes & gas and decent on tires too. The car drove well with that nice Toyota balance of good comfort and reasonable handling. The ability to haul stuff is excellent! The rear seats fold completely flat, the front passenger seat also folds, and you can open the entire hatch or just the glass. All together, the combined to make a great car for road trips or oven to the lumberyard for 2x4's. If I could change one thing it would have been power- another gear in the tranny and 20 lb-ft more torque would have really helped (was disappointed with Toyota when the next generation came out and didn't address these issues, they were the only problems with the design). If you're reading this, you're probably looking at a used Matrix... if it's been well maintained, go for it. It should treat you very well in the long run.