Half a million KMs later, Mitsubishi Lancer remains part of Brantford family

When Carla McTaggart walked into Cambridge Mitsubishi in 2009 looking for a new vehicle, she had no idea she was beginning a relationship that would last more than 500,000 kilometres, carry her family through some of life's biggest milestones and eventually become her son's first car.

"When I went to Cambridge Mitsubishi, it was the first car I saw on the lot,” McTaggart said. “I really liked the colour and it looked sporty, so I wanted to take it out for a test drive."

The test drive sealed the deal.

"It rode really nice. It handled nice, and I was sold from the moment I put it in drive," she said.

"I hit half a million kilometres in the middle of the biggest snowstorm we had this past winter, driving to Mississauga for work," said McTaggart, who works as a paramedic. "It was a milestone, and it was also a moment that I had with the car."

For McTaggart, the significance went beyond the number on the dashboard. The moment felt fitting for a vehicle that had proven its reliability time and again.

"This car has gotten me through so many snowstorms and never failed," she said. "I never, ever had a concern getting it through any type of conditions we've had in our Canadian weather."

McTaggart said she has been impressed by her new ride’s quality and modern features.

"It drives extremely nice, it handles well, it's quiet, it rides smooth," she said. "It has a lot of extra creature comforts, like a heated steering wheel and Apple CarPlay, things that are just nice to have that I didn't have with my 15-year-old car."

Retirement, however, does not mean the end of the road for the Lancer.

"My son is excited to have the Lancer as his first car,” she said. "He's already starting to work on it at home in the garage, kind of making it his own.”

The teenager has ambitious goals for the car's future.

"I've gone to so many soccer tournaments and my sister's dance recitals and stuff in this car," Bryson said. "So now I get to keep driving it and hopefully get it to a million kilometres."

For McTaggart, the emotional connection to the Mitsubishi Motors brand has only grown over the years.

While a new Eclipse Cross is now the vehicle McTaggart gets into when she heads to her job as a first responder, the well-travelled Lancer remains an important member of the family, waiting for the next generation to continue adding memorable kilometres to the odometer.