I got me one of these:

Thats attached to one of these:

Well, OK, its attached to one of these:



But really, its the first pic I'm most excited about.

Finally I can take my music with me wherever I go. I'm excited!

Sweet purchase! I Feel your excitement, tomorrow we take my wife's car in to get her cd player, speakers, amp and sub installed- she will also finally be able to plug her iphone or usb drive for music on the go.

Nice purchase Fred, you have every right to be excited, did you go all out and get the AWD version or somewhere in between. The 2.4L in one of those turns it into a red light racer.

Excellent! I gained the ability to plug in an MP3 player when I bought my van last year. Though the van has a 5-disc player that is compatible with MP3s (equaling about 25 albums worth of music), it really IS more convenient to just plug the MP3 player into the dash.

I think you might like some of the other stuff attached to that port, too!

... like a sub-integrated receiver... ?

Thanks guys.

Jay, I got the most basic model. I even have to roll down the windows manually now. I'm not really a big car guy, so it would take a lot for me to get really exited about the car (like a Ferrari). This is just basic transportation with an MP3 player attached. The main reasons I bought were that my 13 year old Escort is quite a bit more rusted out than I realized and I figure the cheap financing and deals will go away if I wait another year or two.

The seats are really comfy though... and if anything goes wrong with them I can go out in the plant and kick somebody's ass!

The really funny thing is that they have a 6 CD changer built into the dash as well. I guess there are enough people out there that still don't do MP3 or similar.

Eric. I'm really curious to see what sort of 'sub' they have built into the system. I suspect it will contain a whopping big 5" driver. As long as it plays clean.

Wow. Very Nice Fred!! Nothing returns the joy of driving more than a new car.

Cool news! Enjoy it!

Open the door so we can get some "new car smell", Fred.

Hmm... Note to self: no beans on the day I pick up the car.

Congrats! I recently got a 2007 Toyota Rav4 (with third row seats!) and it comes with an aux input and 12V power outlet in the center console. Plus the JBL speaker system isn't half-bad.

Just like when they had cassette players AND cd players in car audio systems. My parents vintage 2001 has this type of system.

As mark pointed out you could always burn 6 MP3 cd's and throw them in the player.

I believe that is the same system, less the 6 disc changer, I have in our Rav4, it is bass heavy and bloaty sounding so I end up turning down the bass a few notches.

Wow! Nice car Fred! Congrats!

My 2001 Civic has a 6 disc changer and a single disc player. I'm thinking hard about pulling the changer so I can hook up the aux input. At least, that's what I assume is wrong with the aux input.

That's funny... my wife and I have been looking for a new vehicle for the last couple of weeks and I'm asking everyone if the aux in is standard. When we leased our Mazda5 4 years ago we just missed getting one standard, I believe they went standard in Mazda's 3 years ago.

I too am looking more forward to that feature than the new vehicle itself. Until my kids are grown and out of the house I don't imagine I will own a vehcile I actually 'want' to drive.

I know that feeling.........:(

Sportswagon, guys. Sportswagon.

Yea, you're not the only audio nut out there. The Hyundai actually had both the aux in and a usb port, a much better solution, but I got a better price on the Matrix, it gives a much smoother ride, and there were some other features like fold flat seats that really fold flat that I really liked.

Jay, that was my impression of the bass in a Sienna (comapny vehicle) I recently drove. I bet I am looking for a woofer solution to replace the sloppy bass before the year is out.

I saw this 4-door Porsche on Motorweek a few days ago....

Canoe transport system with MP3 player.

I got the wagon for extra space for camping.

Yea, I looked at that one, but I like the styling of the Matrix much more.

Does this mean you don't have the Maxima any more? Our twindom be declining.

Jeepers, JP...I thought you woulda had that BMW roadster by now?

No, this means I don't have the 1997 Subaru Legacy wagon with 193k miles on it anymore. My 1997 Nissan Maxima is still going strong with 110k on it.

Nice car, I see you bought a local car huh? LOL

For those unaware, the Matrix is made in the Toyota plant in Cambridge Ontario....right next to him!!!

My wife bought the Vibe (same car, rebadged Pontiac) and we really like the versatility

Yup. And the seat frames are built in my plant. Once I get the vin I can sweet talk QC at our plant to talk to the folks at TMMC to get me a list of anything repaired off or online there.

:::get's in new car.....seat immediately falls backwards:::

...and you know what other audio product is local?
Check out Divergent Technologies...

Awesome ride, Fred. I'm jealous. We've had Corollas for years, and I rather like the look and utility of the Matrix. Mrs. Tuttle objects violently to anything resembling a station wagon, though.

Can't say I think of a station wagon when I look at teh Matrix

But really, that's what it is.

I just realized this thing is going to cost me slightly less than the '97 Corolla I used to own. It is amazing that they keep squeezing more into the same package at a better price.

Its funny, but I'm not that hot on the look of the Matrix. The front end now has a 'beak' look to it I find kind of odd, but the car has the best feature set for the price in the base model, at least with the current incentives.

I know the Matrix is a wagon, ...err hatch back, but hardly resembles the station wagons of days gone by, like the Vista Cruiser

Congrats on the new digs Fred, that's a nice looking ride!


Mark whenever I first saw the Panamera the lines of it reminded me of the Mercedes Maybach for whatever reason.

I bought a brand new '08 Corolla a little less than a couple of years ago whenever the fuel prices went through the ceiling, the car now has 83k miles on it and has paid for itself over again in fuel savings from my F250 diesel that was my daily driver. The thing runs like a champ, is cheap and easy to maintain and I am also keeping the miles and wear off of the truck (kept it, I'll never rid myself of owning a truck). Certainly one of my smarter decisions regarding automobile ownership during the past several years.