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Sold the Matrix XRS - now what?

38K views 565 replies 60 participants last post by  Mr. Bigglesworth 
#1 ·
So I just sold my Matrix XRS after having the clutch replaced. Just done dealing with it I guess, I had the car a year and the clutch broke. After getting the car back I just am worried "what's next?" to break. Anyways....

-Budget is about $8000
-I want a stick
-I want something that is somewhat fun (my definition of fun may be different from yours but a Matrix XRS was a lot of fun for me)
-I want something reliable and most importantly free of rust. (im in Boston, MA area, so finding a car here that isn't rusted to **** is not really possible unless its a few years old... I am willing to travel almost anywhere in the US for the right car.)
-overall somewhat similar to the Matrix XRS, a 4 door sedan or hatch/wagon is most likely what I'll end up getting. Not big on coupes
 
#67 ·
There are a lot of mazda speed 3's in this price range. I am not too familiar with how reliable these cars are. I know they have a turbo 4 and fwd. I also have seen what those era mazdas do in terms of rust.... I plan on purchasing something from an area that doesn't have rust issues and then transplanting it here but that doesn't exactly rule out it rusting as soon as it gets here
 
#80 · (Edited)
I don't want to but I'll have to pile on the Fit as well... I've had a first-gen '07 5MT "Sport" :laugh: and currently have a '17 Base 6MT. The Fit is an intelligent choice for an economical car that holds resale. The rear seats / cargo area are probably as close as you'll get to the Matrix in such a small package. The Fit is even a little bit fun compared to other base trim cars, but that's about it... The engine in the latest gen ('15+) has more power than the last, and a good powerband through to the rev limiter. Unfortunately it sounds like a sewing machine 90% of the time and only OK when beating it at full throttle. Again, it's a good cheap car for lots of reasons, but being fun is at the bottom of the list.

Now, someone mentioned the Sonic on the first page. I had a Cruze Eco with the 1.4t and I really liked that car, even with the long gearing. The Sonic 1.4t came in an RS trim which supposedly had a few legitimate upgrades like shorter gearing, better wheels suspension and brakes... The 1.4t has a couple of known issues in the early years but they're well documented, and they can easily get to 200 hp (and over 200 lb/ft.) with a tune and a few bolt-on's.
 
#85 ·
I am seriously considering purchasing a 05 corolla XRS from CA. Car looks to be in extremely good condition... 0 rust, body is perfect, which are 2 of the main issues with my Matrix that made me want to get rid of it. Also has a year old clutch, magnaflow exhaust, cold air intake, few random other bits like TRD grille...
It's in CA though, so it'd be a long drive back to MA. I'm tempted though as it sounds like it's immaculate.
 
#88 ·
I'm aware, been looking. Seen a number of vibe GT's and matrix XRS but the weird thing is.... like maybe 1 out of every 20 i click on is actually an XRS. There are COUNTLESS examples of mislabelled XRS. And then, after that, there are lots of examples of XRS with the wrong instrument cluster, which is very strange to me. They have the base model instrument clusters with the 7k rpm redline, yet claim to be an XRS and showed me pics of a 2zz under the hood. I'd understand a few but I';ve seen like 5 different examples of this so far......
 
#91 ·
Count me in the Focus SE hatch w/manual camp. Wife's commuter car is a 2013 automatic Focus with 75K on it. PowerShift clutches replaced just under the 5 year powertrain warranty, hoping for another couple of years before any issues crop up again.

Other than that:

--Two air filter changes
--One cabin filter change
--Oil changes every 8 months
--Just got new tires and front brakes (rear drums were fine)

Not bad for a nearly 8 year-old 75K commuter car. Still rattle-free and has far less surface rust underneath than my three year-old Subaru. Can feel the world/EU market DNA when driving it in terms of decent brake and steering feel, along with dialed-in suspension.
 
#97 ·
1) I would consider an XRS as a upgrade from my 03 Protege5. As long as I could get it it manual and a real color. So, if you find another one...

2) I have to defend the FIT, at least the shifter. My wife wrecked an '09 and she got a '13 I also just picked up an 07. Shifter has always felt very good on all of them. Almost as good as my NC. Certainly better than any VW's I have had.
The clutch is very light and is vague on the pick up. My son had a heck of a time trying to learn manual on it, we switched to my P5 and he picked it up right away. But the Fit is not sporty, it feels a lot slower than my P5. Great little commuter car, just not sporty.

3) I would think a Mazda 3 hatch would be pretty good. I have an 07 sedan (2.3) and it is quicker, but feels more portly than my P5. I would think the newer 2.5 (no need to go speed) would be a marked improvement over the XRS.
 
#99 ·
There are like countless ford focus's with 5 speeds and very low miles under 10k, locally, 5 years old and newer. May look into checking one out if I can find the right one. I don't really trust Ford's for reliability but I mean most cars with 50k on the clock and only a few years old should be fine no matter the make, right?
 
#103 ·
2010 mazdaspeed 3... looks nice, has a lot of suspension stuff done to it...
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/...oTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest



theres a 2015 mazda 6 with a manual for about 10k with 65k miles.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/...oTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest

may go take a look at this, looks like a pretty nice car.

also this other 2015 with a little over 100k miles for the same price, but it is a touring model
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/...oTempest&utm_medium=TRP&utm_campaign=atempest
 
#109 · (Edited)
jeez thats a low mile, pretty rare example of a sentra se-r spec v. Definitely has a few small issues I can spot, rusty exhaust manifold makes me think underneath the car probably looks about the same. It's not badly rusted though. ALso seems to be missing the exhaust tip, or it has some dinky aftermarket muffler on it. also looks like soemthing below the rear bumper is hanging on it.... seemingly minor things, but I think this car may have been hit in the rear. also really bad orange peel on the rear shots of the car.

edit:
car was definitely in at least 2 accidents, though they were both to the front? either way probably hurts the value pretty significantly.

muffler replaced by some random muffler shop, so it's probably got some ****ty aftermarket job on it, and the original likely rusted off....


also looks like it';s been for sale for an extremely long time....
 
#112 ·
Another vote for a focus. I had one for a year in Morocco, and while it was a diesel so engine reliability and performance not comparable, it was plenty of fun to drive through twisty mountain roads, big enough for 5 adults to squeeze in for our 120 mile round trip commute when we couldn't get the montero, and comfy enough for my wife and 2 year old and nanny to drive all over Morocco and Spain on our weeks off.

30 miles a day were on dirt roads with pot holes as big as the car. Not sure if suspension was beefed up for diesel, but I never broke anything in ~30k miles.

Also, the company fleet manager would send mass emails every month reminding us to call him for service appointments, then tell us he was busy when we called. I did all those 30k miles on dusty back roads and 100mph runs to Spain without an oil change, air filter, or any other service.

When I went to turn it in, they said I had to get an oil change so there would at least be one real one on the books. 14 ounces of oil came out of that engine.
 
#114 ·
It's unfortunate that in the US, we only had the 1st Gen Focus available and never a real 2nd Gen.

I also drove one for a couple weeks in France in 2011. It was a 2010 I believe, so late 2nd Gen, 5dr Wagon with a 1.6L turbo diesel and 6sp manual. Pretty decent trim level too. I wanted to bring that car home with me, for being relatively underpowered it was so much fun to drive around the countryside roads. I had driven 1st Gen Focii before, and this was so much more composed and responsive. I would still own that exact car if I had the opportunity.

Maybe a 3rd Gen Focus would be within OP's budget?
 
#113 · (Edited)
There's a few cars I may look at within the next couple days locally but I keep going back to wanting to fly out for that corolla XRS. It's a lot less money than most of the other stuff I'm looking at, as anything local is gonna have to be fairly new or its gonna be rusty AF.

I really need to figure out a way to get a fiesta ST by the sounds of things. There's a few for sale but they're all about 12k.
hmmmmmm
 
#116 ·
Note the Fiesta STs optional Recaro seats are only for the very thin.
The Fiesta ST is popular because it's a great driving car with enough power to match it's handling potential- Ford used special front hubs to change the geometry a bit over normal Fiestas.
But even normal Fiestas have a very good chassis and steering feel.
What about a 5 speed 1.0 ecoboost 3 cyl Fiesta?
That engine seems to work well in the light Fiesta.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=541109477
 
#117 ·
honestly I'm seeing much much lower mileage ones than that for about the same price. That said, I think the fiesta may be a bit small. IIRC its quite a bit smaller than a fit, and way smaller than the matrix i had.
 
#120 ·
https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/807850362/overview/

2013+ Lancer GT/GTS? I really like these. They're attractive, the interiors are alright, they're roomy, and they're pretty dead nuts reliable. I had a '15 Outlander Sport with the 2.0L MIVEC and a 5 speed manual for a few years and I beat the living snot out of that thing, like, hard. Was absolutely bulletproof.
 
#123 ·
About the same as any 13 year old VW. Carbon cleaning will be needed occasionally, they have a timing belt, there were issues with the A/C failing, and the water pump is prone to failing. I'm sure I'm forgetting things, it's been years since I owned a MkV.

It's not a bad choice but will be nowhere near as reliable as a 13 year old Toyota.
 
#129 ·
honestly it was just a thought. I had a mk3 a while back and it was the biggest piece of **** ever. **** broke on it like every time I touched it....
I think it looks like it'd be a fun car but yeah, reliability comes into question.
And don't want a 2 door anyways :/
 
#143 ·
I just test drove thst 2012 focus base model. Car had extremely bad cigarette smoke smell lingering. Made me want to puke. Overall was too impressed. Clutch felt like the new fit I didn't like. Sloppy.

Also they had a Kia Forte 2016 with 60k in it. Drove it, car drove like new but I don't think I really wanna spend 9 grand on a Kia forte.... It's not bad though. Maybe for 7k....? Also the clutch engagement point was like 1mm from the floor. Not sure if that's normal but just felt strange. Definitely a decent car though
 
#148 ·
Exterior looks good, if the interior is clean and the engine and gearbox feel good maybe not a bad car for ~$6k or less..show up with some cash, who knows. You could sell the exhaust and coils easy enough on craigslist I would think. I believe these are bottom of the depreciation curve for a good one, I doubt you'd lose anything on it if it turns out to be not what you expected. Unlike a 6-10k Focus, Forte, etc that will be 3k in a few years.
 
#149 · (Edited)
yeah that's what I figure. I did just run a carfax and am a bit confused by it. owner claims to have owned the car since 2017 yet it shows 2 different owners since then, both in the same area. Also shows a collision from about a year ago. I didn't really notice any damage to the front end to be honest.



 
#150 ·
yeah that's what I figure. I did just run a carfax and am a bit confused by it. owner claims to have owned the car since 2017 yet it shows 2 different owners since then, both in the same area. Also shows a collision from about a year ago. I didn't really notice any damage to the front end to be honest.
As for the collision the vin tags for the front fenders can be seen with the front doors open and the hood should have one underneath. Could give you an idea of severity based on what was or wasn't replaced. Not sure why someone would lie about how long they've owned a car given how easy it is to find out. Could updated ownership be something like a spouse added to the title after marriage? Not sure how that works. Maybe this just isn't the one.
 
#151 ·
As for the collision the vin tags for the front fenders can be seen with the front doors open and the hood should have one underneath. Could give you an idea of severity based on what was or wasn't replaced. Not sure why someone would lie about how long they've owned a car given how easy it is to find out. Could updated ownership be something like a spouse added to the title after marriage? Not sure how that works. Maybe this just isn't the one.
I mean collision isn't a big deal as long as it wasn't totalled out or anything like that. He claims it was in his fathers name for the first couple years so he could get lower insurance rates. it looks like it was fixed correctly if anything... I'm still not sure this car is the right car. Wish it had stock suspension, wheels and exhaust.

The Corolla XRS owner said he's on a trip til Tuesday and then he'd touch base and get me more pics and possibly get a PPI done on it.... The corolla XRS seems to be a winner but its kind of an INSANE drive to take with a car I've not seen in person before...
 
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