Last week when I was the the Toyota dealer, this car caught my sight. It is the 2003 Matrix with full body kit. Although I can't really tell whether it is a passenger car, a SUV or a van, I like it. It is very sporty and at a very affordable price (22000 Can). The salesman, although not entirely honest, did provide us with a lot of good information. He said the engine is the same as that of The Toyota Celica but the car price is a lot lower. This is true. And he said that the car can make a 360 turn at one spot, which is impossible. As you can see from the size of the car, how is that possible? He also didn't tell us that the car insurance of the top model (XRS, which he tried very hard persuading us buying) is approximately $4000 Canadian dollars (Vancouver ICBC). But don't worry the insurance for the other models are a lot cheaper. The car has a fairly large cargo room and a very stylist front panel. The test drive was fairly smooth, but the car has some trouble making abrupt turns. Despite of that everything seems perfect. The mazda Protege 5 is an alternative to that car. Personally I think the appearance of this car is more appealing. In comparison, I think the Matrix has a more powerful engine. The protege 5's engine is weaker and it is noiser. Although I don't own a Protege 5, I have several friends who do, they told me once in a while, there maybe small problems here and there and they said the tires are expensive. In summary, I would prefer the Matrix more. First of all, I have more faith in Toyota cars which also has a higher resell value.
Amount Paid (US$): 22000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003