[ps2fixer]

Well, ended up getting another car, completely different model. 2004 Toyota Matrix fwd (awd was an option), auto (wish it was manual), with the 1.8L 1ZZ engine. $800 with a pretty badly cracked windshield and the transmission line is rusted out and leaking. AC doesn't work but pretty sure it's because of the damage to the condenser, they hit something in the front there, the plastic in that area got messed up a little too. Underside is solid on this one, has a little body rust in the driver's rear corner in front of the rear tire. Overall the car is in pretty nice shape for Michigan, 208k miles. Newest vehicle I've owned too, I generally stick with older and simpler machines, but it's a corolla (says so right on the owner's manual lol), so it's still pretty simple. It's like a mix of my old corolla (97) and the echo (interior/steering wheel, probably more just the design of the time). Driving it reminds me a ton of my corolla, but the power level feels like a camry, a bit sluggish from the weight atleast compared to the echo.

Anyway, it's a hatch back, so that gives me kind of a mini-truck effect, but it's still small enough to get good mpg. Haven't even filled it up yet to start the first reported mpg, but based on my corolla experience, first target is to hit 40mpg with driving and some small areo mods. Upper grill block and belly pan after I fix the trans line.

The car also came with some fun codes set, of course first one is for the transmission slipping from being low on fluid. Next is a cat inefficiency code, and the last one is a circuit fault for the evap system (solenoid I guess?). I cleared the codes and put around 25 miles on it, none have came back yet so might have been some old codes set. It also had a high idle when cold when I first got it, after the code clearing it seems to idle down a lot faster.

This should be a good car for winter driving and general driving. My Lexus can be down graded to more of a pleasure vehicle and just drive it once in a while. Clearly still going to use the truck for work, but might look into throwing a hitch on the matrix and get a small trailer for if/when I need to haul small stuff. Should be a good vehicle for driving on trips, can haul a lot while still seating 4-5 people.

Small update on the diesel truck, it's been averaging right around 17-20mpg tank over tank, generally about 1/2 the tank is loaded miles (bed level with broken concrete and dollying vehicles, trailer, etc). The vibration I think I have nailed down as the carrier bearing, I got under the truck right after a drive and the rubber is cracked up pretty bad and I can move the drive shaft a bit in it. When it's cold it feels solid/good. Cheap part, but there's like 4 different sizes, have to love how ford made buying parts such a pain.

The truck also developed a new issue, or atleast one I noticed more recently. The turbo pedestal/back pressure valve is leaking oil pretty heavily. About 1qt per 1000 miles. I did see it was wet in that area when I first got the truck, but the leak seemed to have gotten worse. Tempted to swap the whole assembly from a parts truck (back pressure valve rebuild kits I heard is expensive). The other option is to buy an aftermarket pedestal without the back pressure valve.

One code did come back on the matrix, catalytic converter inefficiency code. My dad has a bore scope, probably going to pull the O2 sensor and see what it looks like (burning away, pluged up, or normal). If normal, just buy new O2 sensors, if plugged or burning away, probably throw an aftermarket cat on and scrap the oem cat. Emission testing isn't done here, so technically I could just straight pipe it and be fine, just a check engine light to have on all the time.