2005 Toyota Matrix consumer reviews

This is the best car ever I ever owned.....If you take this car in for oil changes and the regular checks on what is suppose to be checked there is no problems.....I had the tires checked and brakes the normal stuff there is no problem.....I had several different makes of cars and this is the best car ever.....I always bought car and that makes a difference too.....when you buy a used car you don't know how it was taken car of......I don't care where you buy a used car.....I bought a use care and was told everything was checked ya right.....The car was in an accident I didn't know it and had nothing but trouble.....the biggest trouble was the transmission had it replace after a short time.....I checked out everything that ok with of things that were checked......I bought the care from a dealer that makes no difference......I am a woman and I know when a sales person is just trying to make a deal!

it got me to california and back at 16000 miles and still ran as a commuter vehicle and saved my life when some one hit me

PROS: The 2005 Matrix is a cool looking car inside and out. Top reasons why I bought this car: Reliable. Small enough and good on gas for commuting, yet flexible and big enough for the weekend warrior that I am! Love the cool rocket tail lights and the interlocking ring design on the dash board. This model year has the sporty Celica underpinnings so it has good pick up and a zippy driving response. It has never broken down. Always starts up. Love the hatchback and fold down back seats for hauling large items. Good window sizes and a rear window wiper allow for good visibility. I had wished a moonroof was available. Oh well. CONS: Interior has lots of soft plastic panels. My fingernail can leave a scratch. Some exterior parts are held together with cheap plastic snaps that break and fall off. The placement of the gas door release lever is awkward? I have to open the driver door to reach down to it. Poor job of keeping road noise out. The apron under the front bumper is all one piece and has fallen off twice which compromised the bumper. Simple maintenance like changing the head/tail lights is difficult.

Bought this new in 2005. The only repairs we had to do was a clamp on the tail pile and brakes. Manual transmission is great, lots of pep ! 230,541 miles and still going strong !

My wife bought this car after her Altima broke down while we were dating. She was in college so she needed another car her and her father went to the dealership and bought this car for like $9,000! She since then graduated and we married. This car is my worst nightmare it leaks everywhere and it has engine and transmission trouble. And we still owe like $4500 on it. DONT GET THIS CAR!

Short explanation: Had the matrix for 3 yrs and its incredibly reliable and versatile. Good mpg but kinda slow on the freeway, I still get up to 80-90mph with a bit of work pushing 6000 rpm to get there and then leveling out at about 3500rpm at 90mph. No problems with speed on side street of course. Long explanation: I bought a Toyota Matrix 3 years ago when I couldnt afford the gas on my lexus. This car has served me quite well and still drives great today. I've never had any problems with the car, just regular maintenance. I've only even driven Toyota cars before (Lexus is Toyota) and they have all been very reliable for me. The matrix is extremely versatile and reliable. Ive driven it to San Franciso and back to LA and to Vegas many times and the only problem I've had was the check engine light went on while I was driving on the freeway going about 80-90mph but after I turned the car off at my destination and turning it back on the check engine light went away. The car didn't drive funny or anything it was just the light and I was just concerned. I used to drive a Lexus so I can't expect too much.....but the car only has a CD player (boring) but radio is fine though. The seats go down completely flat so laying down a blanket makes 53X do-able when you can't in a bed. Obivously the engine isn't that powerful I think it has 120ish horsepower but good gas mileage. My problem is I am a fast driver so on the freeway I find myself going all the way to 6000rpm wasting an excessive amount of gas. I guess I don't really have to do that but I live in Socal and everyone drives fast and there always traffic, so I could technically drive 65mph and it would be under 3000rpm but I'm too cool for that. As for side street the car is totally fine, if I were to floor it from stop at a red light I can definitely make the tires squeal.

Based on the looks of this car I did not want to get it. But it is functional and very reliable. My favorite feature is my car has a regular pug in the front so I didn't have to buy a car recharger for my phone and I can plug other things into my car that you wouldn't be able to do with most cars. If you are under 5'5 it's comfortable to put the seats down and sleep in the back if you get lazy like I do and don't want to set up your tent when you get into a camp ground at night. My only complaints about this car besides how ugly I think it is, lol, is that the pedals are way to far from the floor so since I have had this car I actually have had added back issues from having to lift my whole leg up just to press the breaks. The way the seat is is so different from my Celica. I have owned three Celicas and they are still my faves. The Celica was so so so much more comfortable than this car. but the Celica didn't have all wheel drive and I prefer a 4 door to a 2 door. My other complaint about this car is it just has a 4 cylinder engine so going up hill this car just doesn't have the power I with it had. I often have to get into the slow lane going uphill and I'm a fast driver so it gets a little annoying getting stuck behind slow drivers because I can't pass anyone going up hill. Over all this is a great car and I have never had any problems with it. I'm up to 164K miles on this car.

I got the car used about 2 years ago, so far no mechanical problems at all and the folding seats are so good for trunk space, overall a great car i would trust my life with it, it has taken me to vegas and back to LA several times. Now onto the things i DONT love about this car...im not sure if its the tires that i still havent needed to replace yet from the previous owner but it gets loud in the car when you are going ~75-90mph (i usually go 80) so listening to your radio becomes a hassle because you have to turn it up much louder...also there is only a cd player...no tape player or auxilary port so im stuck listening to the radio or an old CD

I bought my 05 5 speed Matrix 9 years ago, and used to be driven to work every day, for travelling on vacations,the kids have borrowed it many many times, it's Primary use is everything everywhere, from mountains to the shores. I haven't had any issues whatsoever. I finally replaced the serpentine belt this year, and could use some new struts. And never have had any clutch issues, until maybe now, the pickup sometimes is not as fast as it is normally so I will be getting that checked out. I have had many corollas over the years and a celica always standard transmissions and would have it no other way. My matrix gets 36 mpg on the highway, my corollas always did as well, so funny to hear car companies thinking they are doing so well catching up. We did have the car overloaded on the last trip so the mileage didn't do quite as well. Being the car is getting old, and we have driven to Florida from PA and back two times last year and going this year again in my matrix, I will be getting things checked out to make sure we will have no issues. The interior of the car is nicer than the corollas were, my only complaint is that I didn't have anywhere to put my dip because of the curved dash. The cup holders also could be a little bigger. The seats slide way back so long legs shouldn't be an issue, my husband can't get in to start the car easily if I don't leave my seat back. The body is in great shape no rust. We certainly plan on getting at least 200,000 out of this car.

First off, the Toyota Matrix is based on the Toyota Corolla platform, so you know it is a dependable and affordable car to own. Where the Matrix stands out is in the way Toyota designers created A LOT of useable space inside the car, and a lot of nice ways to use that space, while at the same time being fun to drive - something not found in many cars today. I have owned my 2005 Matrix XRS for three years without any issues, and have meet other Matrix owners who have reported over 250k miles of trouble-free driving, so I believe the car will last me a long time. Just as important, though, is how fun the car is to drive. I just love how the car can be a comfortable ride on the way to work, but then become a joy to drive in the corners on a weekend drive! And again, the Matrix is able to do this with the same cargo hauling utility of a small SUV... vehicles that never come anywhere close to being fun to drive. Also, in my opinion, I believe the Matrix looks like a much nicer car than the Corolla does...and everyone knows the Corolla as the 'entry level' Toyota but the Matrix does not seem to have that stigma. Now if you are looking for sporty, then definitely get the XRS model, that puppy needs to be driven to be appreciated - night and day different than the X and XR versions of the Matrix. I'm surprised Toyota ever made such a sporty car, it's fantastic! I personally like the 2005-2008MY vehicles, as they seem to be the best built cars and have the good looks of the face lifted design introduced in 2005. In 2009, Toyota began to cut a number of corners with the Matrix in engineering and design, so while they are newer, if you are looking to buy a Matrix, I'd choose a nice example 2005-2008MY car first. Additionally, if you are looking at the XRS models, again, in 2009 the XRS lost it's 'zing' and became just another Matrix... not a bad car, just no longer the sporty car the earlier XRS had been. So to wrap up - the Matrix is an overall great car, able to do most anything you ask it to do, and with this in mind, dollar for dollar, the Toyota Matrix is one of the best automotive values around.