- Thread starter
- #441
That's surprising. Hondas are usually pretty solid.
If you get a Matrix make sure it's an XRS with the 2ZZ-GE!
If you get a Matrix make sure it's an XRS with the 2ZZ-GE!
GX460 & GXOR B.S. thread (20 Viewers)
- Thread starter Roody
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Hiluxforever
SILVER Star
Had the same issue from new with my Veloster Turbo. It was the only manufacturers issue on that car that I had and IDGAF. It was still hilarious to drive. BOV all day long.Take a moment today to appreciate the build quality of your GX460. My daily is a Honda Civic Si and the materials they used throughout the car are stunningly bad. I previously had an early '00s Lexus with the melting dashboard issue, and look at the dash of any GX470 these days and you'll likely see issues, but my Honda is only 5 years old with 40k on the odometer. Look at this mess:
That's not a wear item. It's the badge on the trunk lid. It's still covered with the clear plastic, so I don't even understand where the missing chrome could have gone. It just evaporated! I have plenty other areas that show the complete disregard and distain for their customers, but this one caught my eye over the weekend and nicely sums up the state of Honda right now: Trading on nostalgia and resting on their laurels based on a reputation for quality that they haven't deserved for over twenty years.
I'm going to dump this POS soon and upgrade to a much nicer car. Currently, I'm eyeing a 2003 Toyota Matrix with 175k on the clock. It's significant improvement over anything Honda is shilling these days and will likely last longer.
My first tacoma had a manual transmission with a defect. Nobodies perfect, not like it's a Tesla..
That's the one I'm looking for, but I've opened my options up to the base model as well. My wife won't drive stick which has been an issue with the Si, so I might have to sacrifice some fun for practicality. Especially when I want to take the truck for a day.
Funny thing about Tesla: they're made in the same plant in California that made the Matrix. The build quality difference is notable, I guess leadership matters when it comes to these things. My old boss parked his S Plaid right next to the valet's old Matrix and my buddy and I walked around them both one day, comparing panel gaps. Yeah, we're weird like that, but you could spot the differences from a mile away. The Matrix won't do zero to sixty in three seconds, but the door trim won't come flying off either, so I guess it's a wash.Had the same issue from new with my Veloster Turbo. It was the only manufacturers issue on that car that I had and IDGAF. It was still hilarious to drive. BOV all day long.
My first tacoma had a manual transmission with a defect. Nobodies perfect, not like it's a Tesla..
The other day, I merged onto a freeway behind a Tesla. I was wondering why he was signaling right while merging left. I pulled into the left lane and passed him, and noticed that the left mirror and front turn signals were flashing (as they should be), while the right rear signal was flashing. Doh.My first tacoma had a manual transmission with a defect. Nobodies perfect, not like it's a Tesla..
Take a moment today to appreciate the build quality of your GX460. My daily is a Honda Civic Si and the materials they used throughout the car are stunningly bad. I previously had an early '00s Lexus with the melting dashboard issue, and look at the dash of any GX470 these days and you'll likely see issues, but my Honda is only 5 years old with 40k on the odometer. Look at this mess:
That's not a wear item. It's the badge on the trunk lid. It's still covered with the clear plastic, so I don't even understand where the missing chrome could have gone. It just evaporated! I have plenty other areas that show the complete disregard and distain for their customers, but this one caught my eye over the weekend and nicely sums up the state of Honda right now: Trading on nostalgia and resting on their laurels based on a reputation for quality that they haven't deserved for over twenty years.
I'm going to dump this POS soon and upgrade to a much nicer car. Currently, I'm eyeing a 2003 Toyota Matrix with 175k on the clock. It's significant improvement over anything Honda is shilling these days and will likely last longer.
FYI the Pontiac Vibe is a rebadged version and has the same 2ZZ-GE engine. It'll cost less than the Toyota badged version.
Yup. I've got like 5 Craigslist tabs open with variations on the theme. You're talking to a bonafide Matrix fanboy here. I actually reached out to a local guy with an XR/auto and we're texting now. Might not be the high revving fun of an XRS/GT, but it'll get me to work for a lot less cash and fuss than my POS Honda and my wife can drive it in a pinch.
Mods: please move this thread to the Matrix subforum. Also, make a Matrix subforum.
I almost bought a Vibe back in the day but ended up with a blue '98 200SX SE-R that I wish I still had.
I go through daily drivers pretty often, and have been shopping for a first gen Matrix XRS or a GS400 but settled for less for my past couple of cars. Meanwhile, a good Matrix is only getting harder to find. They are twenty years old after all. It's turning into one of those "one that got away" things.
^Not trying to derail too much but I was a Honda fan and had several Hondas over the years, but after 2000 I really feel like something changed and they lost their way. IMHO my 1995 Integra GSR was peak Honda for materials and quality. Such a nice car.
Funny, I just rode in a new/er Civic as an Uber a few days ago. After 3 minutes in the car I though it felt very loud (NVH) and had cheap plastics. Really no better than a domestic car.
FWIW I had a 2023 Corolla as a rental earlier this year and was also very underwhelmed by it interior quality and general cheap-ness. The only truly nice and relatively inexpensive compact car is a 2014+ Mazda3 (former 2018 Mazda3 owner here - and there is a reason I picked one).
@K Dub , have you considered a LS430/GS430? May say the LS430 in particular is the best car Lexus ever made.
FWIW I had a 2023 Corolla as a rental earlier this year and was also very underwhelmed by it interior quality and general cheap-ness. The only truly nice and relatively inexpensive compact car is a 2014+ Mazda3 (former 2018 Mazda3 owner here - and there is a reason I picked one).
@K Dub , have you considered a LS430/GS430? May say the LS430 in particular is the best car Lexus ever made.
The S2K was in my opinion the last great Honda. I'd still buy a Honda over most other brands not named Lexus/Toyota. But I'd prefer a Japanese made Honda if that exists.
I think Toyota and Honda started going cheap on interior fit/finish/material quality during their various great recession era redesigns in the late 2000s/early 2010s. When they realized that the average consumer doesn't know any better, they stayed with the cheaper interiors as a way to save money and push people to Lexus/Acura.
That's one of the reasons I ended up in a GX v a 4Runner - I can handle the dated design but I wanted something that felt more luxurious than my Fiesta ST.
Also +1 for Mazda interiors. They really are a step above the other "standard" carmakers and often nicer than the lower spec luxury cars.
I bought this Civic because it reminded me of the 99 Integra my wife had when we first met. That was an incredible car. We replaced it with an IS300 that lasted another 8 years. The GX is now her 4th car she's ever owned and I bought the last two. Meanwhile, the Honda is my 13th car and I'm ready to move on after a year and a half. I should stick to cheap cars.
Others consider the second gen LS400 to be their best ever. I'm in that category and my previous car was a 2000 LS400 that I loved. Sadly, the starter was failing on cold mornings and that's somewhat of an Achilles heel for that motor and I opted not to fix it and bought the Honda instead. I was ready for something different, and an Si coupe is about as different as you'll get. I was searching for a GS400 when I ran across this beauty and with it's price and condition I couldn't pass it up.
Going to see that Matrix tonight. Still looking for a GS or SC of similar vintage, but they're all pretty clapped out by now and carry a price premium they might not deserve. One thing about the Matrix, it'll always get you where you're going. It might not be fun, or look cool, but it gets the job done. Dollar for dollar, it's probably the best beater car out there right now.
I like to play a game on the road called "spot the car that's old enough to drink." At least around here, 21 year old cars are something of a rarity. When you do see one, it's usually a Honda or Toyota. When's the last time you saw a turn-of-the-century Nissan Altima? How about a Chevy Cavalier? Mazda Protege? They're all gone, but the Matrix soldiers on.
I miss our LS430. Had the ML radio and heated/cooled rear seats. My dad now drives a GS350 but it isn't quite the same as an LS. I think if I were to be in the market for another big sedan, it'd be a mid-2010s LS600h on some nice wheels.
- Thread starter
- #455
My grandfather had a few (3) LS430s and then an LS460 before he passed. Great cars.
Always loved these images from when the 460 was new:
Always loved these images from when the 460 was new:
Beautiful LS. I remember a classmate's mom having a first-gen LS back in the mid-90s and wondering what they even were (small rural MO town, it was probably the only Lexus in the county at that time). I'm all too familiar with the UZ starter after doing one on my GX470. It honestly wasn't that bad, and took maybe a day. The air injection tubes were a pain to deal with due to almost no firewall clearance, but I got it done. Do the 1UZ/3UZs have the same problem with cracked exhaust manifolds as a 2UZ?
.Take a moment today to appreciate the build quality of your GX460. My daily is a Honda Civic Si and the materials they used throughout the car are stunningly bad. I previously had an early '00s Lexus with the melting dashboard issue, and look at the dash of any GX470 these days and you'll likely see issues, but my Honda is only 5 years old with 40k on the odometer. Look at this mess:
That's not a wear item. It's the badge on the trunk lid. It's still covered with the clear plastic, so I don't even understand where the missing chrome could have gone. It just evaporated! I have plenty other areas that show the complete disregard and distain for their customers, but this one caught my eye over the weekend and nicely sums up the state of Honda right now: Trading on nostalgia and resting on their laurels based on a reputation for quality that they haven't deserved for over twenty years.
I'm going to dump this POS soon and upgrade to a much nicer car. Currently, I'm eyeing a 2003 Toyota Matrix with 175k on the clock. It's significant improvement over anything Honda is shilling these days and will likely last longer.
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I test drove a 2003 Matrix tonight. It was a darn fine automobile but a little too rough around the edges and slooooow. Just gotta find the right one now but I'm sold. It made me want to do a 3rd row delete with t-tracks and tie downs in the GX.
Most things are slow from 2003 LOL. You'll need to modify something or pickup something else with a higher performance starting point. From that era you've got very little to choose from. Do you need a hot hatch or is a two seater ok?
Slow isn't a deal breaker, just an observation. It's peppy enough off the line but 60-70mph was a real effort. I really just like the interior of the Matrix, although I don't have any real use for it. It's a clever design on a reliable platform.
I need a back seat for the kid, and an automatic for the wife. Those are really my only set requirements. The '03 XRS was available with the hot 2ZZ and an automatic, but they're pretty rare birds. The XR, like I drove last night, is just like the base model with rims and a body kit, including rear drums, so there isn't much gained over just getting a true base. I'll just keep hammering the search bar until the right example shows up.
