A personal story about the emotional decision to sell a beloved car, reflecting on modifications, maintenance challenges, and the practical reasons behind letting go.
Selling a car that you love brings about mixed feelings, but sometimes the head has to override the heart. I bought my old car, a 2008 Mitsubishi Colt Plus, shortly after I started my previous job in 2024.
At the time, I envisioned it to be a trusty companion that I could drive for as long as I feasibly could. After all, I had roughly around four years or so until its COE expiry date came up in 2028, and I was hoping that it would at least stay with me until then. It was not long before I started to grow fond of it, and I started spending fairly considerable sums modifying it to make it better.
I installed a few cool toys such as a fancy audio head unit with wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity, a high-end dashboard camera, and even a keyless engine push-start button system, which seemed a bit out of place for a basic hatchback, but was nevertheless quite a convenient feature. Said maintenance was made harder by the fact that the Colt Plus was never really a popular model in Singapore to begin with, so getting spare parts for it proved to be rather challenging, as I soon found out.
Over the course of ownership, I must have spent several thousand dollars on my Colt, both upgrades as well as necessary repairs. By and large, the car mostly functioned well, and I really did enjoy driving it, but it was still a vehicle that was approaching its 20th birthday after all, so it was inevitable that there would be things that needed fixing.
Life circumstances do change, however, and you end up having to make decisions that you may not necessarily like. In my case, having left my job at the end of 2025, it did not seem to make practical sense to hang on to the Mitsubishi much longer, given that it would end up mostly just sitting idle at home.
In theory, I could have kept the Colt if I really wanted to, but it would have been financially irresponsible, especially as the repair bills started to mount up as time went on. There was not really one single large issue, but rather a litany of minor problems which had the possibility of becoming major if left unaddressed. I engaged an online car selling service, and they offered me a price that was, frankly, slightly lower than I expected.
Realistically speaking, though, the likelihood of receiving a better price elsewhere was slim, so I decided to cut my losses and accept the offer. On the day of the handover, it was hard not to feel emotional as I reflected on my journey with the Mitsubishi Colt Plus. Our time together was short but sweet, and I tried my best to give it a good life.
Alas, I could not accompany the car till the end of its current COE cycle as I originally intended. All I could do was wish it well as we went our separate ways, bidding it a quiet goodbye while hoping that its next owner would treat it as well as I did. It certainly deserves no less. Looking back, I realize that owning a car is more than just a financial transaction; it is an emotional journey.
The Colt Plus was my first car, and it taught me about responsibility, patience, and the joy of small upgrades. Every time I started the engine with the push-start button I installed, I felt a sense of pride. The wireless CarPlay made my commute more enjoyable, and the dashcam gave me peace of mind. But as life evolves, priorities shift.
With a new job that requires less driving and a tighter budget, holding onto a car that was becoming increasingly costly to maintain was no longer wise. The decision to sell was not easy, but it was the right one. In the end, I hope that the new owner will appreciate the care I put into the car. I left all the modifications intact, hoping they would make the car more appealing and functional for its next chapter.
Saying goodbye was hard, but I take comfort in knowing that the Colt Plus will continue to serve someone else, just as it served me. If there is one lesson from this experience, it is that sometimes letting go is the best way to honor the memories. The car may have been just a machine, but the moments we shared were real. And for that, I am grateful
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