It's me

It's 2008, I'm 18 years old, just learning to drive, and my military physical is coming up...

Since I'm a gardener, and I've always loved pickup trucks, I was thinking about buying a Ford Ranger... After the physical, we received a "men's package" which included a car magazine. Of course, I flipped through it at home... And right there in that magazine was a review of the new Mitsubishi Lancer Sport Sedan. I fell in love with it immediately. I ordered the brochures and accessory guides online. And when I received them, I was blown away. What an awesome car! And the Instyle trim level totally won me over. Modern and timeless, just like it still is today.

 

And the interior was the deciding factor; the Ford Ranger didn't have any of that back then. That's why I chose the Mitsubishi Lancer Sport Sedan!

... From then on, I had to find out where to buy one. I knew it would be more expensive in Vienna than in the countryside, so I checked online for all the Austrian states. At the time, the features (InStyle trim) and the color were important to me. Red was number one, black number two...

 

I did find a red one, but it was already sold. And another red one already had hail damage... so the search continued...

Finally, I found a black Lancer with the InStyle trim in Bad Goisern. I emailed them to ask if it was still available, and I promptly received a reply: YES!

 

I arranged a viewing for October 5, 2009. Since that date was still about a month away, I hoped no one would buy it in the meantime. Bad Goisern is in Upper Austria, quite a distance away, but not from Gmunden, which is "only" 50 km. Since my great-aunt lived there, and we were visiting her anyway, we set off in two cars (my aunt came along in her car) and came back with three. It was the coolest vacation imaginable...

 

The Big Day - October 5, 2009

At that time, I was doing my civilian service with the Samaritan Association. From the moment I saw it in the magazine until October 5th, it felt like an eternity. Every day in the ambulance, I imagined driving around in the Lancer. It was almost like an addiction, a longing for a car. Even back then, the connection was very strong, although I had never actually seen a Lancer up close or even in traffic... it was possible that I wouldn't even like it...

 

Finally, the day had arrived. On Sunday, October 4th, I set off for Gmunden. It was getting closer and closer.

 

Only one more day separated me... and when the day finally came, only 50 km to go...

 

We were driving my dad's car, a Volvo. He stopped to refuel... and that's exactly when it happened: he filled up with gasoline instead of diesel!!! I saw it in time, so of course he didn't start... But why on that particular day? It had never happened to him before, and never again after that. Only on the day I bought my car... Apparently, he was nervous too... haha.

 

So, 40 km and a wait for the ARBÖ (Austrian Automobile Club) separated me... He ran the tank dry, Dad filled it up again, but this time properly, and after a delay, we were on our way again.

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Limberger Car Dealership

Our destination was Limberger Car Dealership. We parked and looked around. My Lancer was parked in the showroom facing the exit, so the first thing I saw was the cool rear spoiler. The deep black paint and compact design were simply awesome.

 

It already had several extras installed: a rear spoiler with registration, a trunk liner, silver trim rings around the fog lights, rubber floor mats, a silver accent on the trunk, an aux cable, an exhaust tip, stainless steel door sill plates, and carbon fiber mirror caps.

Test Drive

 

The boss, Mr. Limberger himself, said we could take a test drive, so we all (Mom, Dad, Auntie, and I) sat in the Lancer, and everyone was thrilled. I remember I had to go in reverse first, and I didn't know how to engage reverse... haha... Since it has the VW engine, it also had the 6-speed transmission, so you put the ring on and then engage it.

 

The first drive was really awesome; the smell of a new car and the handling were fantastic.

 

I knew I was definitely taking it home today.

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First Day of Driving

When we returned, the boss's daughter was waiting for us. Since she drove the Lancer regularly (it was a demo car with 11,500 km on the clock), she explained all the interesting features to me. She also said she would miss it; for her, it was the "720" because its license plate was GM-720 N.

 

Purchase

All my childhood savings, plus what I'd saved during my apprenticeship and community service, I now laid down in cash... I bought it back then for €24,500.

 

With the handover of the keys, a new chapter of my life began.

 

My first car – and still is...

 

Back then, I wouldn't have thought you could do so much to a car. But every single project is fun, even if there are often dead ends...

 

Drive Home

The drive home in a convoy of three cars was really great. I was finally able to live my dream, enjoy the music on the sound system, the beautiful ambiance... I remember when Dad said I'd been a good boy/girl and turned on the light in the tunnel... Oh, Dad, it's automatic, isn't it? ^^ I simply love the features.

 

Once home, the next question was: where to park such a beautiful car? We drove to our local gas station and asked if we could leave it there until we found something. The manager simply said he had parking spaces in the garage; we could have one right away. A lightning-fast transaction that was definitely under a lucky star...

 

 

Conclusion

Back then, I said: My first Mitsubishi, but not my last. Now I say my first and last Mitsubishi. No other car will be better.

I've never regretted the purchase; it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

 

 

 

To this day, it remains a faithful companion in my life,

 

and I drive it every day with joy and passion!!!