A tribute to the Lancer

It just daunted on me.. that I'll be separated from the Lancer in a month's time...

The Lancer and I first met in Jul 2003. However, I was not allowed to go out with him alone till 2005. It was only then that we had a relationship, like the one Takumi had with his AE86 in the manga Initial D. I only knew to have fun with the Lancer while Daddy had the arduous task of caring for it (servicing, maintenance, etc).

The Lancer has served us well, and the family has been greatly blessed by its reliability. He reciprocated the care we showered on him by making sure we get to our destinations on time and safely, despite how adventure-seeking Daddy and I are.

I love the Lancer for its responsiveness and sensitivity. The moment I tap on the accelerator, it responds with its quick torque, so much so that we'll be ahead of all the other cars around us. (This without needing to floor the accelerator, mind you!) Everytime I need to get out of a tight spot, he responds accordingly. We had a few near-misses, but God has been good and answered all my prayers for journey mercies. My heart still breaks whenever I see the scars I left on him due to negligence, but we feel that these scars have given him a sense of ruggedness, attitude and character.

his first major scar, dated 2 Nov 2007

The Lancer and I have shared so many happy moments together alone, driving all around the island, feasting our ears on the wide variety of CDs in the 12-CD changer. I especially love it when we play the umb-zi-umb-zi kind of music, when we would work out the tweeters and bass woofer that were installed. I will miss the many times when we would just drive around aimlessly, especially when I was feeling down and out. The Lancer has also allowed me to enjoy many quality conversations with people I have given lifts to, just by keeping his profile low by silencing himself to a quiet purr while he drives. Many heart-to-heart stuff were shared in the car, and the Lancer is a good place where secrets are kept.

But alas, the Lancer has caught on in years, and we have to let it go because of economical reasons - it's better to let it go when he still has his worth. Besides, to restore him back to his original state is going to cost us a lot of money to get his many ailing parts cured.

I will definitely miss the Lancer. Though we will be expecting the Altis come August, this feeling will never be the same. Will the Altis allow me to experience the same joy as I have had with the Lancer? This I can't answer now, but am eager to find out.

(our coming new car... the Altis...)

Meanwhile, goodbye Lancer. We will surely miss you.........