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Comments
Stephen
Thanks for looking out for me!
I do agree though that the testers included the WRX to mix things up a bit and that the Matrix (especially the XRS)is a great vehicle. I do think that Toyota/Pontiac are missing the boat by not offering the more powerful engine where it's needed most...on the AWD model. :-)
Stephen
Thanks,
Paul
Forget about the Matrix, high prices, dealer stickups and Toyota's lack of availability.
Hang tight and get the car you really want.
Stephen
Under $20k for a very well equipped 'XRS' or 'XR AWD' - you call that high priced?
Dealer stickups? - we were just offered $1000 under MSRP on our choice of either lot or order.
Lack of availability? - see below...
Even though I tried to talk my wife out of it, she still wants one (either Vibe or Matrix), so now I'll try to get her the best deal possible at least.
We were just at the Toy dealership who currently has 6 of them in (4 were base though), 1 was XRS and one was XR, but no AWD right now - but one coming in next week.
Decided on Matrix over Vibe due to 11 point difference in residuals - 66% vs 55% on a 2 year lease - that works out close to $100 month savings for a similar equipped vehicle.
Is that a good deal? The dealer says it's "$250 under invoice," but I trust car salesmen as far as I can throw their product.
Great resource for matrix/vibe owners.
Happy with my XR in Honolulu.
Stephen
http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosconsumer/0204/11/g01-460981.htm
Pleasantly surprised so far with the handling and ride quality. ALso noticed that it is pretty quiet at 70mph too.. Only complaint so far is the legibility of the odometer. Very difficult to read in the daytime.. Radio features are awesome for a lo-ball car..
I have some questions, maybe someone can help:
What is the difference between Climate Control and A/C? (is it only clean air filter)
What deal did you get if any? (CAN only please)
Is the glass tinted?
What kind of rims did you get? (if possible please post a picture)
Thanks All!
filod: I ended up only paying about $700-800 (depending on how you look at it) under MSRP. This was about a month ago. I'm not sure what the market for Matrixes are like now, but back in early March, I couldn't even find one on the lot to test drive, let alone negotiate on price. So I think I did okay on the price. I honestly believe that people in the market for a Matix can get better prices than I did. But at the time, I really needed a car, I knew I wanted a Matrix, and I didn't know whether or not I'll have to wait 4-6 months for the next shipment of Matrixes.
I think the worst place I saw was this one dealership asking for a $3000 "dealer markup" on a XR. The dealership even had the nerve to suggest that "We can negotiate on the markup price"...as if they were making some great concession.
And you are right about doing the "homework" on a car you plan on purchasing. I had a really great experience at Melody Toyota. But I also think that my stack of print-outs and online price comparisons helped with the price too. In gerneral, I just found that some of the south bay (and east bay) dealerships were really eager to help with answering any of my inital questions regarding the Matrix, while most dealerships on the pennisula just gave me the: "We don't really care about your questions because we can sell two Matrixes without really trying, so we're not going to try. You want a brochure...go to the toyota website."
I finally found the car I was looking for on the internet at another dealer. They wanted 1,000 over MSRP but I was able to get it a few hundred under MSRP. I think it is hard to bargain when availability on some of the models is still very low. I would have liked to get a better deal but I saved a bunch from the price the first dealer wanted so I am happy and the first guy still says that combination hasn't been built yet.
I second the observation re: the readability of the odometer/thermometer.
Pretty basic NE model with the disk changer / All weather package & Floor Mats ( didnt come with the 17 inch wheels ?! )
Opinion :
Its Sweet !! extremely sweet ! Definitely worth the premium over the XR.
Its a solid vehicle . A big plus over
the Mazda Protege 5 .
Drove the base 4WD Automatic ( for some reason then the only matrix's to be had were automatic ) as a test drive . Loved the practicality hated the performance / noise.
Decided to ante up the difference for a XRS.
( having previously driven a 2K+ celica GTS , I could attest that while it wont wow any torque enthusiasts , its a lot of fun )
***************************************
End Analysis:
for 18.6K +TTL i have 4 door Matrix XRS with the Celica GTS drivetrain .
*****************************************
Pricing:
Edmunds pricing is all wrong for this ride .
Not only is their invoice incorrect ( cross chech with Carpoint.com / cars.com ) their TMV
is way off base.
U can get this car for Anywhere from 0.8K - 1K less then MSRP.
Problem is that XRS's ( manuals ) are rather thin on the ground . So u have to weigh the possibility of paying a slight premium or sticking it out for a month or so .
Question:
whats with the 17inch wheels . A lot of the new XRS's in teh NE seem to have dropped teh 17 inch rubber . (not that it matters as Summer tyres are a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] up here what with the generally inclement weather ) .
Why would they advertise it if they are not putting any in?
Jim
Honolulu, Hawaii
Jim@Honolulu
The local dealership in Minneapolis showed me the build sheet for all Matrix for the month of April for all upper midwest dealers - only 17 XRS's out of 350 total cars. 14 of these were with sunroof, the other 3 without. NONE of them were coming with Side Airbags, OR 6 disc changer, OR 17 inch wheels.
Basically they told me "you get what Toyota feels like building and sending to us". Sorry, I'm not putting any money down on that kind of BS.
If I am putting money down to order a car and have to wait 2 months for it, I want it EXACTLY how I ordered it, and not 4 or 5 months down the road either.
Is that that way Toyota always operates?
I'm pretty sure I'll get mine with Air bags. I think the dealer understands I won't take any garbage from him and he can't afford to let my deal go. If mine doesn't come EXACTLY how I ordered he loses the deal, period. There are four other dealers within an hour drive that will then get a shot. The dealership is undergoing major renovation right now and I'm one of very few sales they've made in the past few months. Basically what the dealer has to do is sell one Matrix to get the right to sell another. When they've earned that right they can ask for their Matrix to be configured a certain way.
Xr,
Personally I think you'll be happier with the XRS. Yes the extra power is only there in the higher revs but it is there. I have a feeling that the XRS is going to be more interstate worthy than the XR.
Your dealer should have no problem changing the order. However, the wait time may be extended. Good luck either way.