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By fishexpo101, July 21, 2010



Well, significant other got into another accident just this past week, fortunately she is not seriously hurt. Soft tissue damage from the seatbelt and verified whiplash. Doctor prescribed pain medication and rest - evaluate again in a few weeks time.

If you don't remember - she was also involved in aother accident last year - posted this at 9thgencorolla last year.

http://9thgencorolla.com/forum/showthread.php?t=103246&highlight=accident

That damage was fixed to my satisfaction - but took way longer than needed. But we got it fixed right in the end, so that is what counts.

This time around - she was dead stopped in normal rush hour traffic. Guy behind her wasn't paying attention and rear ended the driver's side rear corner of the car. The impact was hard enough that it pushed the Matrix into the car directly infront of her. But that car, Nissan Altima Coupe, had superficial damage - basically flexed a bit and had some holes punched into it from the bolts holding our license plate.

Fortunately for us, the county Sheriff and local PD were immediately behind the guy that hit her, so they were able to check on everyone involved and redirect traffic - plus no way the guy can BS his way out of this. His car was an Acura TSX - not much bigger than the Matrix, but the way it hit the car - did a number on it. Pics don't do it any justice - as most of the damage is spread around the car (doors will not open, if you force them, they overlap each other, front bumper basically fell off, rear bumper obliterated, blew up the storage area in the cargo hold - shot the compact spare out of the well, put the compact spare on as the impact punctured the rear tire.)

Just a couple of pics that I snapped from my phone - just to give you an idea.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/fishexpo101/My%20Cars/Matrix%20Accident%202/straight_rear_2010.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/fishexpo101/My%20Cars/Matrix%20Accident%202/quarter_rear_2010.jpg

Damage is not too bad, pic wise, but after tossing it up on the lift, the entire belly pan was wrinkled, from the rear bumper support to infront of the front seats. They estimated repairs to be in the $8000+ range, assuming they can straighten the frame. As such, his insurance company has declared it a total loss. Waiting to hear back from them on what they calculated as the ACV. If salvage is not too expensive - I'll buy it pack from them and partout the car to recoup the salvage cost. So keep an eye out for a for sale. 2ZZ-GE engine and transaxle are all original, doesn't burn oil, has about 119K miles on it. Though I might just hold onto the engine, as those are getting pretty rare / hard to find one that hasn't been beat on.

Started car shopping again - sucks as both our cars are paid off, and I wasn't looking for more car payments. We're looking at the 2009/2010 Matrix XRS - as we liked the utility of the car or maybe go another route - like a tank or similar for her. Looked at some 2005-2006 Corolla XRS and 2003-2005 Matrix XRS - but hard to find one relatively clean. May go completely different and go the Subaru, Audi route. Originally, we were looking to pick up a Audi S4 Avant - plenty of power, wagon for utility - but the ones we looked at were a little rough and/or high in miles. Couldn't justify a brand new one at the time (newborn baby, two car payments, etc) - but may consider it this time around. Audi Q5 / Subaru Tribeca sized vehicle or smaller. Have considered the S4 and WRX/STi - but she won't have any part of that. We'll see how things turn out.

That sucks I'm sorry to hear the car got smashed , glad to hear everyone's ok. Interesting to hear you say you might go with the Audi, personally I've never known many people who had them last for long without TONS of expensive repairs and maintenance. The only person I know who drives one and has had any luck owns a diesel. Anyway happy hunting !

That sucks I'm sorry to hear the car got smashed , glad to hear everyone's ok. Interesting to hear you say you might go with the Audi, personally I've never known many people who had them last for long without TONS of expensive repairs and maintenance. The only person I know who drives one and has had any luck owns a diesel. Anyway happy hunting !

Sorry to hear about your Matrix getting totalled - main thing is wife's ok! And fortunately, you should have no problems getting compensation from the other driver's insurance.

Audi's are nice, but I agree that they're probably going to be pricey for parts. When I bought my Toyota I only looked a Civics, 1 Echo, and the Corolla I wound up buying. But I also toyed with the idea of a Subaru Forester of about the same vintage as my 2000 Corolla. I like Subaru too, and from anecdotal stuff I've heard, parts are about on par with Toyota, reliability is very good, and their reputation for designing safe vehicles is excellent.

Whatever you decide on, I'd weigh the safety/crash ratings into the decision process too. I've been in two accidents (the first as a pedestrian - hit by a Honda CRV), the second when I was cut off on the highway while about to pass a van that was tailgating the car ahead; it was January, roads were icy, and when he swerved in front of me, as soon as I hit the brakes the car skidded a second or two, touched the snow covered shoulder, then flipped and rolled. $9,000 (all body) in damage done to the car, but the collision policy (the other two cars kept going so I wound up being deemed at fault, having lost "care and control" of the vehicle due to "excessive speed relative to road and weather conditions") covered that, the 3 week rental, and 3 months of physio.

Both accidents I likewise had mostly soft tissue damage and whiplash. Physio (and later massage therapy) was the key for me, although every once in a while I'll aggravate the old back injuries (muscular) and spend a few days on robaxacet until it goes away.

-Spyder

Thanks guys - I feel the same way about Audi's reliability. Great driving cars, but will hurt you in the pocketbook after the warranty expires. Had an older Audi in the past - was actually rock solid until it neared the 100K mile mark, then pretty much everything needed replacing. Kind of weird, all the stuff just wore out at the same time. Thinking Subaru would be the better bet between the two cars - with Toyota buying GM's stake in Subaru - makes me feel more confident in getting a Subaru. Only one that I'd had experience with as the SVX coupe - that funny looking Subaru. Bought it pretty cheap in the late 90's - but gave me a ton of problems. Transmission failure, wheel bearing problems, braking issue - which I later found out was failry common for that particular car and atypical for Subaru in general.

Still waiting to find out what the settlement will be. If the salvage is low enough, I'm planning to strip the driveline off the Matrix and do a future project car. The 2ZZ-GE are getting fairly rare, atleast ones that are known to be in good shape. We'll see. Planning to do some car shopping this weekend - just to narrow down what we would consider for a replacement. Wait for the check and decide what we want to do. Wasn't looking forward to car payments - but such is life.

friendly_jacek

Fish, sorry to hear that story. When My wife had her Subaru Legacy totaled in 2006, we got Toyota RAV4. AWD, 3.5L V6, 269HP, seats 7 and the same MPG as 2.5L H4 Subaru. The new generation MY 2006 RAV4 had some issues, but they are all mostly fixed by 2009-10. I may need a new car soon as the old but reliable 03 Corolla will go to my daughter and I consider new Matrix. Keep us posted!

Thanks guys!

Did some shopping this past Saturday, hit quite a few places, took time to cool off between places. Heat actually helped a bit - as not too many sales personel would chase you around the lot in the heat - gave us some time to check them out in peace.

Ran into a very clean 2009 Matrix XRS - loaded to the gills, very low mileage, looks mint, certified Toyota = new car finanacing applies. Dealership was asking $18.7K - was able to shave off another $1500 - plus got some "goodies", so I felt that was a fair price. Financing was too good to pass up - was even cheaper than my credit union of 3.89% - signed paperwork that afternoon. Will take delivery this coming Thursday (to prep the car, add some accessories).

Wife was pretty happy with it, be both test drove it - was pretty solid, so that was all that it took. Should have pics up once I take delivery of the vehicle. Still waiting on the settlement from the insurance company. Unfortunately, the amount they wanted for salvage was a little more than what I wanted to spend - so I'll let the car go. If I had a place to store the car until I could pull the good bits off to part it out, I probably would have jumped on the salvage. But at this point - just have to move onward.

Glad everything turned out OK for you and your wife, Fish!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_V50 the 2.4 turbo is pretty nice, reliable, ride nice, quiet, etc. little larger than the matrix but a much much more refined vehicle. great for cruising down the highway for long stretches and working on them is straight forward..except some engine light diagnosis.

friendly_jacek

Fish,

Congrats on the new matrix. I may need to test drive one too. How is the first impression with electric power steering and the 2.4 engine?

I hope your wife is ok, injuries from those rear enders can come back to haunt you.

Both of our Toyotas are salvaged

,

Bought both new, and both were rear ended and totaled (stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks), and then we bought them back from the insurance company. Got a nice chunk of change for both of them and bought them back cheap.

Just body damage though,both ran great until the cracked head on the corolla. I love body damage!

My wife wanted a new Subaru Outback instead of fixing the corolla, until she saw what the monthly payment would be, they also dont get the best milage, but I still really like them.

Rod

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_V50 the 2.4 turbo is pretty nice, reliable, ride nice, quiet, etc. little larger than the matrix but a much much more refined vehicle. great for cruising down the highway for long stretches and working on them is straight forward..except some engine light diagnosis.

Yeah, we saw a few of them at CarMax - but she didn't really feel the styling. I mentioned to her that she probably couldn't get a tougher car, safety wise, but that didn't sway her. Same with the Subarus - saw some really nices ones at decent prices, but she didn't like the styling much. Looked at the Rav4 - nice but pricey (especially the used one), Highlander (too big), Nissan Rogue (cheaply built, spartan interior), Mazda3 (interior was very nice, reliability? - one was being test driven at the time apparently broke down about a 1 or 2 mile from the dealership - they had to tow it back). Sat in a GT-R for grins (had to tear my kid away (7 year old) as we left, tears streaming down his face).

She was smitten by the looks of the new Matrix, liked the interior and the flat load floors. Almost deal breaker - nice load floor, but the rear opening was quite a bit narrower - limiting the utility. IMO, a case of style over function - where the old Matrix was function over styling. Sure the new Matrix looks sleek next to the old "boxy" Matrix, but that is what made the old one work for me - it was a box with a kicka$$ engine, sharp handling for its size, and Toyota reliability.

Fish,

 

Congrats on the new matrix. I may need to test drive one too. How is the first impression with electric power steering and the 2.4 engine?

Thanks! We test drove a bunch of them - both Corolla and Matrix in the base, S, and XRS trims. The 1.8L is just adequate, has a lot of weight to pull around, so don't expect too much from it. The 2.4L doesn't have a lot more power, but it is a noticeable different. The off-idle response is much stronger than the old XRS we had, but died off quickly at the top end. She was disappointed that it didn't have the "zoom" factor of the 2ZZ-GE (she loves "lift" on the old Matrix). But the 2.4L engine is much more tractable than the 1.8L 2ZZ-GE - no Jekyll and Hyde behavior (its best and worst points, IMO). Just easier to drive smoother - even with the electric steering and DBW throttlebody. The XRS seems to have the best "feeling" steering out of the bumch - not sure if this was a function of the XRS suspension (independant rear, instead of the solid beam), bigger tires (18" package on BFG gForce KDWS 215/45R18), or strut tower brace/damper. The ride of the 1.8L base and 2.4L S just felt "off". The ones in the Corolla had even more isolation, but the weighting felt a little different - even in the XRS trim.

 

Blind spot will take some getting used to. The little "windowlets" in the back do help (compared to the Pontiac Vibe which is solid back there) - but was a lot harder to see out of compared the 2003 Matrix. Body control was noticeably absent - when the body rolls, it really rolls. I guess it is a tradeoff for the supple ride - nothing a set TRD performance springs can't help with.

Overall - with the car loaded with airbags galore (front driver and passenger, front sides, front curtains, rear sides), ABS, EBD, VSC, TRAC, direct TPMS, Navi, etc. Only option we didn't get was the Moonroof - which is hit or miss in our book. We liked it in the old car, but as the car is shorter than the older Matrix (headroom wise) - having a moonroof really starts to impede on available space. Now we get a steering wheel that tilts and telescopes (YEAH!) but they lose the separate lift-glass on the rear tailgate (BOO!). Seats in the XRS were considerably better than the S or base - not sure if it was a different material or how the seat grips your backside, but it is definitely more comfortable.

We also opted to go with the 5-speed auto over the standard. The slop in the standard shift was borderline outrageous - even on the car that was brand new. Didn't have a good feeling from gear to gear, didn't miss a shift, but it didn't have that tactile feel of going into gear - very relaxed operation. The automatic has a manuatic function - so that will to suffice. Should be better in the end - definitely easier for her and it specs out with better mileage than the standard shift.

I hope your wife is ok, injuries from those rear enders can come back to haunt you.

 

Both of our Toyotas are salvaged

,

Bought both new, and both were rear ended and totaled (stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks), and then we bought them back from the insurance company. Got a nice chunk of change for both of them and bought them back cheap.

Just body damage though,both ran great until the cracked head on the corolla. I love body damage!

My wife wanted a new Subaru Outback instead of fixing the corolla, until she saw what the monthly payment would be, they also dont get the best milage, but I still really like them.

Rod

Thanks! Yeah, I would have jumped on the salvage if it was cheaper. They just wanted too much for the car. Original plan was to park it at the shop until we secured a lightly damaged or otherwise good body shell. Then transfer all the bits over. The car as it was, had the belly pan wrinkled to the backs of the front seats - so even if the car could have been straightened out - it would have never be safe to drive again (next accident could accordian the car's body). Too bad - as the engines for these cars go for an easy $1500. They wanted a little more than $3K for salvage. If I had buyers lined up with cash in hand - I would have bought it and parted it out. But as it stands, I had to let it go.

 

We actually stopped by the bodyshop on Monday - double checked for personal effects. Car will go to salvage today (Tuesday). Was a pretty sobering sight - as most of the interior (entire back end)and exterior (all lamp assemblies, front and rear bumper covers) were stripped off the car and piled inside. Car looked more like a theft recovery from the outside. Too bad - over the 5 years/80K miles we had it - not a single major malfunction or defect. Only maintenance and wear items (plugs, tires, brakes, fluids), front bulbs changed twice, new battery, and upstream O2 sensor was replaced due to a bad heater element. It was deadnuts reliable for a first generation vehicle (technically the drivetrain was fully vetted in the 7th gen Celica GT-S) - hoping it is the same way with this 2009 Matrix.

Sorry to hear about the accident Fish. But the important thing is that your wife is OK. Congratulations on the new car also. Glad everything turned out OK.

UPDATE:

Picked up the car last Friday - here are some pics that I took yesterday, don't mind the dirty car - rained the day we picked it up and over the weekend.

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/fishexpo101/My%20Cars/Matrix%20Accident%202/Rear.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/fishexpo101/My%20Cars/Matrix%20Accident%202/Quarter.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/fishexpo101/My%20Cars/Matrix%20Accident%202/Inside.jpg

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v620/fishexpo101/My%20Cars/Matrix%20Accident%202/Front.jpg

Overall - pretty happy with the car. Navi system is pretty robust - hard to confuse it. Though not as intuitive as your typical Garmin or TomTom - though the 7" screen is a nice touch. Still working on the first tank of gas - will post back when I get some numbers. Some owners have been complaining of dismal fuel economy numbers of the 2.4L engine - got to see for myself if that is the case.



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