Toyota promotional image; my car was identical except for having different alloys.
Toward the end of 2008, the global economy was crashing, and it had plenty of company. I’d slammed headlong into the realities of post-college life, both working professionally and pursuing a second degree full time. And while visiting home around the holidays, my younger sister demolished my ’97 Subaru Impreza Outback in a frontal collision. With classes set to resume in a few short weeks, I needed to find a replacement—quickly.
Fortunately, I already rehearsed for the occasion. Months earlier when my employer gave my entry-level salary a little bump, my thoughts immediately turned to new cars. Might as well buy now while I still qualify for new graduate incentives, I reasoned. The mental acrobatics I would entertain in an attempt to rationalize acting on an unwise impulse! But what to buy?
From the vantage point of America in 2023—where the average price of a new automobile is nearly $50K and 5,000-pound pickups and SUVs dominate the sales charts—it’s hard to comprehend the embarrassment of small car riches we had during the Great Recession. Ford reintroduced the Fiesta to the American market. Mazda brought its tossable 2 to our shores. GM was still peddling the bargain basement Aveo and the badge-engineered G3. I read rumors that VW might import the Polo to America (which never happened). Toyota, Nissan, and the Koreans were all selling B-segment models as well. In mid-2008, small car brochures littered my desk. You could assemble a fleet from all the build-to-order cars I had configured on manufacturer websites.
Of the subcompacts shown here, only the Versa and Rio are still available in the U.S. today.
Of that cohort of late 2000s subcompacts, the spunky, versatile Honda Fit appealed to me most of all. One Saturday afternoon, I visited a Honda dealer in suburban Philadelphia to size up a Fit. I liked what I saw. But no matter how long I milled about the showroom demonstrator, sat behind the wheel, and flipped the Magic Seats into different positions, no one even approached me to say hello. Perhaps I looked too young to be worth a salesperson’s time. Ultimately, that missed connection saved me from buying a new car I couldn’t afford and didn’t really need. (Yet.)
2008 Honda Fit; the car I wanted.
Back to the dawn of 2009: I was in my hometown and needed a car that I could afford immediately. I hoped to find some kind of hatchback or wagon. Having enough load space to transport my bike was crucial. Naturally, I’d have preferred another Subaru. Our trusted Subaru specialist garage, sadly, was winding down operations at the time and didn’t have much inventory. They went out of business a few short years later.
My hometown Honda dealer had a first-generation CR-V on sale, but it was in rougher shape than I preferred. Plus, I bristled at its underachieving fuel economy and SUV pretensions. I looked long and hard at a Jetta wagon nearby; owning a Volkswagen was a lifelong dream. But in an era of tight budgets, I worried that unexpected repairs would break me. Finally at a heritage Ford dealer an hour’s drive away, I found a promising listing: a 2003 Toyota Matrix XR.
Brochure image; my vehicle was identical.
I was aware of the Matrix from its 2003 introduction but for some reason had not paid it much attention. The model name and the aggressive “we’re young and edgy!” marketing turned this millennial off completely. Though not identified as being a part of Toyota’s ill-fated Project Genesis, the Matrix represented one of the automaker’s most concerted efforts to attract young buyers to its flagship marque just before launching Scion.
But setting the marketing aside, the more I looked at the Matrix, the more I liked it. It was larger than the Honda Fit I wanted, but not dramatically so. It may not have been as versatile as the Honda either, but it had some useful tricks of its own. The rear seats, backed with rigid plastic, folded absolutely, positively flat with a single motion. My Impreza required that the bottom cushion be flipped upward first before the rear seatbacks could be folded (mostly) flat. The Matrix’s front passenger seat also folded flat, allowing long cargo to be carried on the right side. The folded seatback also doubled as a mobile desk, and a nearby 110V AC outlet provided power for a laptop.
Interior cargo capacity; not my vehicle but identical except for exterior color and my car’s automatic transmission (Source: Wikipedia user Ridge Runner).
Getting behind the wheel for a test drive, I initially found the driving position awkward but adjusted to it quickly. Acceleration lagged slightly behind my ’97 Impreza Outback but was on par with my ’90 Legacy. The Matrix handled responsively, although its tall body and higher center of gravity led to more body roll and a less sure-footed feel than I enjoyed in the Subarus. In a major downgrade from the Subarus, this Matrix lacked ABS, a surprising omission considering the car’s equipment.
Not my car, but identical down to the Delco-sourced stereo.
And this Matrix XR was fairly well outfitted for its time. Of course, windows, locks, and mirrors were all powered. The car featured remote keyless entry, A/C, and cruise as well. It had a moonroof, too—a feature I loved on my Legacy and sorely missed on the Impreza. For whatever reason, Toyota tapped NUMMI partner GM for the Matrix’s audio system in the first two model years. The car’s Delco six-disc CD changer looked like it had gotten lost on its way to a Bonneville.
This Matrix may not have been my ideal automobile, but it checked enough boxes to move it into the “buy” category. I drove it back to the Philadelphia area and resumed my work/school grind.
As a result of the economic downturn, my employer decided to close the local office where I worked. They didn’t fire me, though: Now I got to work from home full-time. With a little more time (and income) at my disposal, I regained a touch of the wanderlust I had in my undergraduate years. No longer tethered to a physical workplace, I made lengthy summer trips through the Rockies and desert Southwest. The Matrix proved to be a reliable companion, and I tore through thousands of happy miles exploring the country. Fuel economy was better than any of my previous cars, surpassing mid-30s figures on the highway without trying.
At the close of 2010, I earned my second degree and could finally escape the gravitational pull of campus. To paraphrase the old Southwest ads, I was now free to move about the country. One carefree day sitting on a park lawn with my then-girlfriend (now my wife of a dozen years) I casually remarked, “I’ve always wanted to move to San Francisco.” “Sure, let’s,” she replied. Neither one of us had ever been there before. But when you’re young and drunk with love, little details like that are trivial. Mere weeks later, we packed some essentials into the back of the Matrix and took off across the continent.
Departing for California.
Like the covered wagons of the 19th century, my Matrix crossed the Great Plains and the Rockies, traversed Donner Pass, and arrived in the Promised Land of California. Yet I prepared to part ways with the car not long after arriving in the Golden State. Browsing car listings online one afternoon, I saw that San Francisco Toyota had 2006 Matrix for sale, virtually identical to mine. But this Matrix had a manual transmission—something I’d always coveted and never had.
En route to California, pulling out of Iowa 80.
I had never been taught to drive a manual, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. Even in San Francisco.
it’s hard to comprehend the embarrassment of small car riches we had in 2008. That year, Ford reintroduced the Fiesta to the American market. Mazda brought its tossable 2 to our shores
Neither of those cars were available in North America until the second half of 2010 and were 2011 Model Year vehicles.
My mistake—it looks like I conflated the global launch of those two models with their U.S. debut. Thanks for keeping me honest.
No ABS in 2003? Huge safety omission and I’d guess no traction or stability control. Sounds like a typical Toyota, sell on higher price through reputation but lack standard features available on similar vehicles.
ABS became mandatory in Australia in 2003.
” One carefree day sitting on a park lawn with my then-girlfriend (now my wife of a dozen years) I casually remarked, “I’ve always wanted to move to San Francisco.” “Sure, let’s,” she replied.” .
Wow. What a wonderful response from a wonderful woman.
The Matrix/Vibe twins were very nice American made options for anyone looking for reliable and practical transportation. While the Fit was also a nice car, it did not have the long legs needed for a leisurely and reduced NVH cross country run.
Now, I like, and still have, a manual transmission car. But, in San Francisco… I would think twice about all those uphill starts with traffic backed up behind me.
” I had never been taught to drive a manual… ” .
Something tells me you’re about to get a real education in the art of clutching.
Having lived and worked in San Francisco for a number of years, driving a manual there was fine. Though easiest with a manual handbrake, you quickly adapt and become quite proficient at very quick-release launches when needed. Not having snowy days helps tremendously. Other traffic would tend to not be right on top of you when stopped at an uphill, realizing that damage might occur to both cars. And you would generally look further ahead than perhaps otherwise and not be in a big rush to be stopped in line behind a bunch of cars, rather cruising uphill more slowly until the line started to dissipate.
The NUMMI experiment has to be a high-point in domestic auto production. Toyota/GM were able to build cars with Toyota-level quality that, when branded as a GM vehicle (Nova/Prism/Vibe), were competitively priced with anything else in their class yet were superior vehicles. The cognoscenti ate them up.
The only real fly in the ointment was that a main bearing in the Matrix/Vibe’s 5-speed manual had an unfortunate tendency to fail after a certain number of miles. That would be the final reason to completely avoid a manual transmission in hilly SF (although the 6-speed trans in the highest trim Matrix/Vibe seems to be okay).
I agree that NUMMI was a high point in domestic production, though I’d argue that Tesla manufacturing in the same factory (well, the same outer shell, with most employees from the same local community) is THE high point, to date. Based on innovation, and volume results. Fingers crossed that it continues, because the domestic industry, and our local economy, needs it.
“The cognoscenti ate them up.”
Dream on. Back in the Geo/Chevrolet Prism days, Consumers Reports was screaming at it’s readership for their stupidity, because Toyota Corollas were selling with $400-1200 ADM on the sticker (depending on region),while Chevrolet dealers had cash on the hood for the same car. Such was the “will not set foot in an American marque’s dealership” attitude, and why Chevrolet dealers were selling cars branded Geo, although the title said Chevrolet.
Bill Cosby’s “Driving in San Francisco” routine:
Appealing cars. I briefly considered a used base model manual (5 speed I think) Matrix five years ago before we bought our also used base model Golf. The Matrix dealer wanted me to complete a sales contract before a test drive; the Golf sales guy let me drove several cars by myself without even checking my license or insurance. As for a manual transmission on SF, for me and people of my generation it wasn’t uncommon. But 50 years later, I will say that modern “hill holders” like our Golf has, or our 20024 Forester had, do make it easier. And I recall that our only MT Toyota, a ‘93 Corolla, had a combination of non-linear clutch, poor traction uphill, and even a bit of torque steer, which made me look like a rookie a few times in SF or other steep Bay Area locales. My Vega, with RWD and a pretty grunty 2.3 engine, was a great hill starter.
When Road & Track tested the Vega, their test car had the tallest of the final drive ratios on offer. I think it was 2.93:1, but I could be wrong. When they did their standard test of whether the parking brake would hold a 30% grade, they couldn’t get the car restarted up the grade, no matter how much they slipped the clutch. They specifically said San Francisco folks should order their Vega with the 3.36:1 final drive. Presumably your car didn’t have the taller final drive.
Mine was the GT which had the lowest available rear axle ratio, plus maybe the later 4 speed also had a lower first?? All I know is that living a few blocks from a 3/4 mile hill that averaged 17% and had stop signs on 25% sections, the Vega was much better than any friends’ 4 cylinder cars and only bettered by V8’s, at least until I tried it 30 years later with my turbo Forester, aided by the hill holder. Though those are almost 50 year old memories tinted by a bit of rosy glass.
I will soon get a 2004 Matrix XR from our niece from my wife side. I believe it has ABS equipped. The vehicle has three issues, check engine light, smell of gasoline and shake at high speed. I don’t know how this car passed the NYC restrictive inspection. I drove it around the blocks for 30 minutes, it run fine, engine strong, brakes strong and AC cool for a 20 year old vehicle.
As for Honda Fit, I prefer the first generation, it is much smaller than the later two generations, but it is not for long distance driving, the high rpm at above 70 mph is very tiring. I am not sure Yaris, Mazda 2and Festia have the same problem. Set aside its reliability, Ford Festia was the best of them.
You were somewhat ahead of the times with your ability to work remotely. And in a sign of the times, you chose to move to SF; in recent years, it’s the other way around. The ability to remote work has sent a lot of San Franciscans out to cheaper locales. We get a pretty steady stream of them in Eugene and other Oregon locales.
What’s not to like in a Corolla wagon?
I like these small wagons for their versatility, compact exterior dimensions, and overall practicality. It sounds like the ideal vehicle for your situation at the time.
A coworker owned a Matrix, which was very reliable and easily accommodated his 6’6” frame. I rode in that car several times and was also impressed with the fit and finish, but I will say it was much noisier above 50 mph than my daughters’ 2009 Jetta; it seemed the Matrix would have benefited from another gear on the top end of its 4-speed automatic.
In driving a manual in San Francisco, I had the pleasure of driving a 1964 MGB in the city and remember stalling out several times at stop lights. Fortunately, it was a Sunday evening and there wasn’t much traffic, so I was able to remain composed and get going without causing too much of a backup. The next day, the going was much easier, though I am sure that the clutch would disagree!
Nice write-up of a car that I’d never given much though to. That could be due to the fact that the majority of these that I saw and recall from back then were of the Pontiac Vibe variety. Your experience seems to reveal a pretty functional car. The lay flat rear seats and the ability for the passenger seat to form a desk seem particularly useful. Sounds perfect for the kind of cross-country touring you put it to.
I enjoy your writing style and love following the adventure. Although, I do think you should give your sister a break after all these years for totaling your Outback. 😉
I’m 6’ 1” tall and always felt my wife’s manual transmission Matrix was roomy enough, but my shoe size is 12 EEEE (wide) and the transmission housing was so broad and the pedal spacing so narrow, that it was difficult to not press on the accelerator and the brake at the same time. After I had Guillain-Barre Syndrome (what Sufjan Stevens is currently recovering from), I no longer had enough sensation in my feet to consistently avoid hitting both pedals, not a safe situation. It’s odd, my manual transmission ‘97 Subaru Impreza was significantly smaller, but had plenty of room at the pedals for my wide feet.
I love these cars – though like you I gave no thought to them when they were new. Later on, I knew two people who owned them – neither were particularly “car people” and both were somewhat hard on their stuff, but their Matrixes (OK, actually one Matrix and one Pontiac Vibe) performed long and well.
One owner was my wife’s uncle. He acquired a used Matrix when he was in his 80s. Despite his age, he drove a lot, and somewhat improbably he drove very long distances, often hundreds of miles at a time. One time when he visited us, I got to drive his Vibe for about two hours as we took another road trip. I liked it a lot. He used his Vibe quite a bit until he was in his mid-90s and stopped driving. From what I understand, his Vibe is still running well for its new owner.
Regarding your spontaneous decision to move cross-country, that’s something I’d always wanted to do, but was never quite brave enough to do it. Congratulations to you for pulling it off. This song I heard recently is one of the best songs I can recall about that kind of wanderlust – it’s a song I can listen to over and over. In case it’s your kind of music, enjoy:
I like cars that fold into a van for hauling too much stuff both my C5s do that though the electric front seats in my current one wont fold over like yours, but how much extra gear that could fit if they did is interesting, Ive already had enough tools and Hillman parts aboard that the default comfort suspension setting feels mushy it still handles ok but feels floaty, the sport setting returns things to normal though.
No ABS that seems hard to believe on a car from that year, Late model used import laws changed here to exclude anything without ABS and a stability program and like anything else if the JDM doesnt require it Japanese manufacturers leave it out only fitting such devices to export models which is why my NZ assembled seies 1 Subaru Legacy had side intrusion bars and a sticker proclaiming it and the ex JDM cars didnt,
Your Honda dealer experience was just like mine when I went to check out their wares in 1985. When I bought my Fit in July of 2006, there was zero stock available to buy and there was a lengthy wait for ordered cars to arrive from the assembly plant in Japan. I suspect that the situation had eased by 2008, but perhaps not by that much.
I always saw the appeal to the Matrix/Vibe. They were larger than the Fit, but I kind of liked that about them.
My only memory of one of these cars: just before an SAE standards development meeting when we were all getting settled in the conference room, a DaimlerChrysler (or was it Cerberus? I long ago stopped trying to keep track) engineer I knew sat down next to me and I asked a question about the lights on the Dodge Matrix. It took me half a beat before I realised what I’d said. Oops, I mean Caliber. Awkward!
Sometime in late 2009 I came very close to buying one of the last brand new Pontiac Vibes. Although they quit building them in late 2009, a tiny handful of 2010 models were built before Pontiac ended Vibe production as part of their shutdown.
But the salesman and/or dealership was not even remotely interested in playing ball, and in a very ridiculous way. I wound up buying a used 2005 Scion xB instead.
I know a 6′, 4″ 350-pound man who used to drive one of these. And, NO, he did not fit into it well. It belonged to an elderly family member who gave it to him. He traded it in for something that would accommodate his large physique.
Had an 03 base model 5 speed.
By far the most reliable car we ever owned. At 270k I sold it because the new england road salt had eaten the quarter panels behind the rear wheels. It still had the original struts, exhaust, clutch and the seats were still perfect.
Guy who bought it was shipping it to Africa. No doubt it’s still running great over there somewhere. The 5speed manual never had any of the issues some have reported. I never did anything except routine maintenance. I did change both 02 sensors but i consider that routine. The 09 Matrix S we replaced it with, although a good car, is not built as well as the 03. Sometimes I wish I had just fixed the rust on the 03 and kept it.
Welcome to San Francisco! Definitely ahead of your time – working remotely AND moving out here (I believe dman also lives in this area) – and daring to get a manual shift – as everyone mentions!
Looking back, moving when you did probably was a good time – as the economy was recovering and the (infamous) high cost of living was a bit softer then. Though it still had to be sticker shock to you..
And the Matrix, as you well know, came out of the Fremont NUMMI factory – which closed down with the downturn in the economy then. It’s today’s Tesla factory.
Can’t wait to read your next instalment.
We’ve had an ’03 Matrix in our household from new (10/02); it’s my car now, and I’d trust it to go anywhere. One of the best cars I’ve ever owned. I thought the driving position was a bit awkward at first too, but I’ve gotten used to it and it’s an extremely comfortable car for me. Too bad the odometer resets at 300K miles, although I’m not anywhere near that yet.
The Vibe and its JDM sibling, the Toyota Voltz, were produced in Fremont, but the Matrix was produced in Cambridge, Ontario.