Down the Road

Photographs and stories by Jim Grey

Since 2007

Tag: Matrix

  • Requiem for a Toyota

    I love cars, but I probably loved my 2003 Toyota Matrix XRS most of all. It had become a beater in recent years, and it had a lot of miles on it, but I kept driving it anyway. But now I have to say goodbye.

  • Photo: An evening shot of my car parked on the street in front of my house.

  • Cars of a Lifetime: 2003 Toyota Matrix XRS

    My Cars of a Lifetime series ends today over at Curbside Classic, and it makes me a little sad. My last story is about the second Toyota Matrix I’ve owned, this one a top-of-the-line model with a more powerful engine. This is the same car that got rear-ended twice last year and had several other…

  • Cars of a Lifetime: 2003 Toyota Matrix

    My Cars of a Lifetime series over at Curbside Classic is quickly reaching the present day. Today I write about my little red Toyota Matrix. I ended up with this car in my divorce, and it turned out to be a great little hauler. Well, except for the multi-thousand dollar repair, which came a few…

  • Toyota bashing

    This is my car the day I bought it (used) in 2009, all shiny from a fresh dealer detailing. It’s had more than its share of nicks and dings, as I wrote about a couple years ago. This year, my poor car hasn’t been able to catch a break. In March, I took it a little…

  • How to replace the side mirror on a 2003 Toyota Matrix

    Backing out of my tiny garage the other day, I took it a little wide. The passenger-side mirror hit the garage door’s frame and – crack! crunch! – quickly and efficiently removed itself. D’oh! This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. The last time was about ten years ago. I was driving my wife’s car down…