I'm driving this car until the wheels fall off!!!
Major deciding factors in choosing this vehicle were leg room, fuel economy, and all-wheel drive. I have not been disappointed!
As a bonus, this car has a ton of cargo space! I'm an avid garage-saler, and with the back seats down, this car fits an incredible amount of stuff.
Fuel economy has suffered a bit as the car ages, and I've put quite a bit of money into the car in the past couple years as major parts have worn out, but I turned 250k this year, so I guess that's to be expected. 14 years; I've never broken down and with good tires, this car still handles like a pro through Wisconsin winters!
A couple issues I've had: radio/clock display has been out for years and you can't replace the fuse, and door locks that quit working with the fob (driver's door 2x for several months and back driver's side for a couple months), plus the front bumper is styled too low and 2/3 of it has gotten pulled off over the years from catching it on curbs/parking bumpers.
Overall, I really love this car. If Toyota hadn't significantly reduced the cargo area and rear side windows in the newer models, my next car would be another Matrix.
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