Blooming jacaranda trees provided a fitting backdrop for the Magna’s farewell

Today I farewelled a car that served three generations of family across two states. This morning a tow truck driver came and towed my white Mitsubishi Magna sedan. The car will be auctioned off with proceeds going towards preventing youth homelessness via Kids Under Cover.

The Magna entered life at Mitsubishi’s Tonsley Park assembly line in 1994. In 1995 my dearly departed maternal grandparents purchased the car new from Ceduna Mitsubishi in western South Australia. Later, my parents became owner number two and, in 2009, they were generous enough to give the car to me to use in Western Australia.

The Magna in all its glory in the South Australian countryside, 2006

As part of my move to Perth to join a consultancy in late 2008, I negotiated to have the company pay for car relocation. Packed to the ceiling with my possessions, the Magna crossed the Nullarbor on the Indian Pacific train. Unknown to my then boss at the time, the company paid several hundred dollars to transport a car worth not much more than the transportation fee!

A shoe ornament from Gaziantep, Turkey hung from the Magna’s rear view mirror

Changing the state of registration to Western Australia required an inspection. A new windscreen and a few other tweaks later, the Magna was ready to extend its reign for several more years. If the car had no provenance I would not have persisted with the transportation and registration bureaucracy and expense. However, this was not a normal car, but a family heirloom! Indeed, the Magna performed very well and, until the last few years, operated very reliably for a 1994 model. It wasn’t a spectacular car but it performed its job.

Before towing, I removed the license plates for return to the Department of Transport

21.5 years and 256,000 kilometres after coming off the production line, the Magna has left the family. Farewell to a fine servant!