Sob sob … I’ve just sold my little Volkswagen Golf after driving it for 12 years.  However, it has gone to a good home – a young girl who has saved hard for her first car.

I am a Volkswagen lover through and through and have realised I have continuously owned a VW since I bought my first Beetle when I was 16!  Holy cow – that is 29 years!  I worked on a neighbouring farm planting brussel sprouts to save up for my first volksy.  At $1.50 per hour it took me a few years but I worked hard and saved my money.  I felt like all my Christmases had come at once when I finally took possession of a 1971 orange Beetle:

I paid $1300 for it in 1986 when I had just got my ‘P’ plates.  Living on a farm out-of-town, a car was my ticket to freedom!  I had so many fun times in my first car, despite the back wheel falling off within a matter of weeks of buying it.  That old girl sure did some kilometres – filled with girlfriends and surfboards down to the east coast of Tassie, snowboards and skis heading up to the ‘mountain’ (Ben Lomond) and even further afield to Melbourne and Sydney!  In 1995 I was driving back to Tasmania from Sydney when I broke down on the Hume Highway and had to hitch to the next town … a nice truckie picked me up though (oh dear)?

When I lived in Canada I bought a maroon diesel Golf that was more trouble than what it was worth, but it did the job.  On return to Australia I sold my first Beetle and guess what?  I bought another one – but this time it was a 1973 Superbug (still orange).  I felt so posh having a rounded windscreen, heaters that worked and wider tyres.  I loved that car too and owned it for many years.

I reached my early 30’s, had a proper job and thought it may be time to upgrade.  I sold my beetle for $3500 and purchased a shiny black VW Golf.  I was in heaven … I loved the blue and red dash lights and all the mod cons – air conditioning, fast glass (electric windows) and heating that worked efficiently (that wasn’t piped off the exhaust)!

Twelve years later, we have now outgrown the Golf with our expanding family and all the paraphernalia that one needs (dog, prams, bikes, scooters etc).

A reluctant sale, I felt a little sad seeing my Golf driving down the street this morning but it sure has served me well.  Nick and I had lots of great trips in our car and our babies were safely brought home for the first time from hospital – driving 20ks per hour.

Rest assured, I am still enjoying the German engineering of our family wagon now even though it isn’t a Volkswagen.  I hope we will have another long relationship together.  Ha ha!