Faults:

At 200k miles the clutch was done and 3rd gear was starting to grind when cold. The shifter cables probably needed replacing (hard shifting).

It's also likely that new gear oil would have fixed most of the transmission's issues. Unfortunately it decided to jump headfirst under the rear bumper of an SUV when I wasn't looking and suffered sudden depreciation, and so I could not test the theory.

General Comments:

The Matrix is an incredibly practical for city or rural driving, as it is small enough to fit in nearly any parking space, but it still can haul a bit of necessities back to the homestead and is completely adequate on the interstate and two lane highways. I wouldn't recommend it for the suburb dweller as the stoplight > 10 lane mega raceway > stoplight scenario is not her forte. On back roads it is as good as any tiny hatchback, and it has the clearance to handle dirt roads and potholed alleys downtown.

You won't notice on a test drive, but this car has some of the most comfortable seats I've ever sat upon. As a big and broad shouldered person, I don't get along with a lot of Japanese car seats, but 8 hour trips were no problem in these seats and they showed absolutely no wear despite my 250lbs.

My only complaints about this car specifically, is that it had rear drum brakes without ABS and tended to lock up, but it's more a matter of buying decently aggressive or grippy tires, as this car is very light with only one person onboard and can skid and slide in slippery conditions with aggressive driving.

The plastic cargo floor seems like a great idea until you listen to your shopping sliding back and forth all the way home.

My other complaints are apply to most Toyotas:

Using cable shifter linkages for manual transmissions. They just feel yucky and rubbery.

Glare! A slightly shiny dash pad that faces the passenger compartment is a Toyota touch that combined with blue windshield glass and tiny sun visors makes sunglasses a necessity.

It is made of tinfoil. Seriously Toyota are your stamping dies so precious that you can't put real steel through them? This thing dents from a hard stare!

Oh, and the stereo is poop. It maybe a base model thing.

Overall, I highly recommend the Toyota matrix. It's totally way far much better than almost every other compact car, AND you can get it in AWD for if you live on a hill where it snows. If you don't experience that snow / hill thing regularly 2wd is fine; just get the good tires and you'll be set, assuming you know how to drive in snow. Alternatively you could stay home.

Faults:

Just bought the car, and the only thing that has gone wrong is the trim along the driver's side roof lifted off the roof. The dealer covered it at no cost!

General Comments:

I had a 2005 Chevrolet Uplander before I purchased the 2007 Toyota Matrix, and I am very happy with switching from Chevrolet! I needed a car that was able to hold 4 adults and was decent on fuel. I looked at several different cars and some SUVs, and nothing really fit what I wanted until the Matrix.

The size is awesome; I am a very big man (6'2", 330lbs), and even with a sunroof, I fit just fine. I can even get in the back seat behind my driver's seat position, and I fit!

I have to admit that the doors seem a little tinny, and there is a bit of road noise, but it's OK.

When it got cold here in Calgary, 40 below, I found it took a very long time to heat up. I took it back to the dealer and was told everything is fine.

I do have an appointment to check for a buzzing in the dash, but I just turn up the stereo and ignore it.

This car is awesome. Chevrolet should take some pointers from Toyota and produce a decent car for the money they charge! My last two GM cars both needed transmissions, and both were under 100,000 miles; not good. I hope this car lives up to the Toyota image of a very reliable car!