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Zan Rowe paid just $1800 for her first car – a 1983 Mitsubishi Sigma.
“I lived in the north-west suburbs of Melbourne, and had a part time job working at the iconic Shell service station on the Westgate Bridge,” Rowe says.
“It was one of the busiest stations with 40 pumps as you headed out toward Geelong. I also needed my own car to zip there and back and owning this Sigma was my instant ticket to freedom."
The cream-coloured station wagon with brown pinstripes was fitted with cream interiors – a charming nod to the '70s.
“The seal on the driver’s side window was broken and I remember having to set a bath towel on the seat on rainy days so I didn't get a wet bum,” she says with a laugh.
“I also had one of those cassettes you plug in to connect your CD Walkman in the car so I could play my music. It’d always skip when I went over bumps."
The “daggy” coloured car inspired Rowe to give her car a nickname.
“I decided to name it Ziggy Sigma – after Ziggy Stardust. I figured branding it with one of David Bowie's most outlandish characters would give it some of its own. I loved that car,” says Rowe.
Mitsubishi eventually phased out the Sigma and replaced it with Magna in 1985. The last Sigma wagon rolled of the production line in 1987.
Rowe's humble Sigma got her to university and back across town most days. On weekends, she drove it to her favourite camping spots.
“This car was a lifeline to being able to do everything I wanted and needed to,” she recalls.
“I remember driving it from Melbourne to Uluru and back, when around six hours from home, the head gasket blew and I was stranded in a little town called Tintinara, in South Australia.
“Before I set off on the road trip, I'd upgraded my RACV Roadside Assistance to the highest level – in case anything went wrong. My annual membership was almost up and they only charged me pro rata for time left on it, so I paid $1.80 for that upgrade.
"Cut to me, in this tiny town and calling the RACV for help – well they kindly helped transport Ziggy back home and put me on a bus. They gave me a fancy hire car for five days while it got fixed. It’s the best $1.80 I've ever spent. Without it, Ziggy may have found his final resting place in that little town."
She kept the car for four years. Her eldest brother Joel helped upgrade the stereo while her dad Malcolm taught her some fundamental mechanical requirements.
“My oldest brother was obsessed with car stereos and would often install insanely expensive kits inside absolute wrecks,” says Rowe.
“He put a decent Sound System in my car to replace my cassette and CD Walkman workaround. Dad was the one who showed me the ropes with making sure I topped up the car with coolant, and made sure the car had enough oil.
“I came of age in a time of old Coke bottles filled with water, and bottles of oil from the servo rolling around the back seat of any car. These days we don't even think of that stuff.
“New cars are very hands off, but there's something charming about the threat of an old junk heap giving up the ghost at any moment – and learning how to keep it alive.”
Take Five with Zan Rowe Season 4 is now showing on ABC TV and iView.
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