Almost 3 million miles and counting
#1
Almost 3 million miles and counting
This is the car with the most miles in the world. A 1966 Volvo P1800.
An article off he internet. A Lexus should be second on that list.
Modern cars can do over 100,000 miles without pausing for breath. If you really pile on the miles, you might have 200,000 or even 300,000 miles on the clock. If the car Gods are really shining on you, you might have managed more than half a million.
Prepare to feel insignificant. Irv Gordon from East Patchogue, New York, and his 1966 Volvo P1800, have completed over 2.9 million miles together. If you're after an arbitrary comparison to offer some perspective, that's around six round-trips to the moon, or over 116 circumnavigations of Earth.
It also equates to an average of a staggering 64,444 miles per year since Irv took delivery of the car, five years after its launch in 1961. The beautiful P1800 is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Irv hasn't gone easy on the car. Upon taking delivery back in '66 he drove it 1,500 miles in the first two days and had already amassed half a million miles in the first decade - far more than most cars do in a lifetime. Of course, though the car has proved itself time and time again, Irv is religious with maintenance and the car receives all the attention you'd expect it to.
By 1998 Gordon and his Volvo had made it into the Guinness Book of World Records at 1.69 million miles, more than anyone else in a single-owner non-commercial vehicle, and by 2002 they'd reached 2 million miles. It also means Irv is in the enviable position of breaking records with every mile he drives.
Three million miles is easily within reach, and Gordon expects to hit that target in the next couple of years. "In honor of the P1800's 50th anniversary, I'd like to reaffirm my goal of reaching three million miles within the next two years" explains Gordon.
It's not only Irv's record we envy, though. Very few people can claim to have owned the same vehicle for so long - never tiring of it, always giving it the attention it requires and enjoying so many journeys.
Whilst undoubtedly a testament to the quality and reliability of the Volvo, it's also a testament to the excellence of the automobile and what can be achieved.
An article off he internet. A Lexus should be second on that list.
Modern cars can do over 100,000 miles without pausing for breath. If you really pile on the miles, you might have 200,000 or even 300,000 miles on the clock. If the car Gods are really shining on you, you might have managed more than half a million.
Prepare to feel insignificant. Irv Gordon from East Patchogue, New York, and his 1966 Volvo P1800, have completed over 2.9 million miles together. If you're after an arbitrary comparison to offer some perspective, that's around six round-trips to the moon, or over 116 circumnavigations of Earth.
It also equates to an average of a staggering 64,444 miles per year since Irv took delivery of the car, five years after its launch in 1961. The beautiful P1800 is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.
Irv hasn't gone easy on the car. Upon taking delivery back in '66 he drove it 1,500 miles in the first two days and had already amassed half a million miles in the first decade - far more than most cars do in a lifetime. Of course, though the car has proved itself time and time again, Irv is religious with maintenance and the car receives all the attention you'd expect it to.
By 1998 Gordon and his Volvo had made it into the Guinness Book of World Records at 1.69 million miles, more than anyone else in a single-owner non-commercial vehicle, and by 2002 they'd reached 2 million miles. It also means Irv is in the enviable position of breaking records with every mile he drives.
Three million miles is easily within reach, and Gordon expects to hit that target in the next couple of years. "In honor of the P1800's 50th anniversary, I'd like to reaffirm my goal of reaching three million miles within the next two years" explains Gordon.
It's not only Irv's record we envy, though. Very few people can claim to have owned the same vehicle for so long - never tiring of it, always giving it the attention it requires and enjoying so many journeys.
Whilst undoubtedly a testament to the quality and reliability of the Volvo, it's also a testament to the excellence of the automobile and what can be achieved.
Last edited by SC400slide; 09-30-12 at 08:46 PM. Reason: added an "h" to with.
#6
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#8
Lexus Fanatic
#9
It'd be interesting to know how much is original. We have a saying "Trigger's Broom", prompted by a road sweeper who won an award for having the same broom for 20 years. It'd only had 6 new shafts and 12 new heads...
#10
I would like to hear more details on that 980k car. Wow!
Mine: '02 LS with 231k, planning on putting on many more miles... Down for a timing belt job, valve cover gaskets, plugs, some exhaust work, and new snow tires soon!
(Currently running around in the snow in my '00 Tahoe with 287k. Runs and drives great! Trans not original...)
Mine: '02 LS with 231k, planning on putting on many more miles... Down for a timing belt job, valve cover gaskets, plugs, some exhaust work, and new snow tires soon!
(Currently running around in the snow in my '00 Tahoe with 287k. Runs and drives great! Trans not original...)
#11
Lead Lap
I would like to hear more details on that 980k car. Wow!
Mine: '02 LS with 231k, planning on putting on many more miles... Down for a timing belt job, valve cover gaskets, plugs, some exhaust work, and new snow tires soon!
(Currently running around in the snow in my '00 Tahoe with 287k. Runs and drives great! Trans not original...)
Mine: '02 LS with 231k, planning on putting on many more miles... Down for a timing belt job, valve cover gaskets, plugs, some exhaust work, and new snow tires soon!
(Currently running around in the snow in my '00 Tahoe with 287k. Runs and drives great! Trans not original...)
as it turns out, the 2nd gen LS odometer will just stop at 999999 and not actually just roll back over lol
go to the 54 minute mark for the final few 'exciting' moments
when i drove it the car honestly still felt luxurious and shifted butter smooth (with cold A/C)
#12
I've owned 3 pre-owned Volvos (all 240D from the 1990's with >100K when purchased) and got a combined 900,000+ miles before they were sold to a 3rd buyer (collector). Everyone was impressed, however, I also pumped $1000's into repair and maintenance (what few people saw) to keep all three alive, and they lived in the shop (the mechanic named all three because he saw them frequently). They constantly leaked oil, the suspension required work every few years, steering pump failed repeatedly on all three, the electrical system required constant work on all three, the head cracked on 2 at around 150K, the ECU was replaced on all 3 at least 5 times, the vacuum system required constant work, etc., etc., etc.
In the end, most extremely high mileage cars only look impressive from a distance...it's all very abstract until you own one.
#13
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At 380K now! Original motor, trans, AC. I drive it pretty hard, 75mi one way to work each day, about 50min of city driving (lights, etc.) and 30 min of highway @ ~ 80mph. I've had to do struts, replace driver's side cv, axle, wheel bearing, passenger rear wheel bearing, rotors (once), alternator once, cabin air blower (once), knock sensors (wouldn't shift into OD, did it myself w/ help of a youtube video). I do my own brakes when needed, replace my own oil & filter. The trans seems to shift hard occasionally, so I try to go easy on it (thinking maybe I can put a used trans in it if and when if fails?). I'm amazed that the AC is still working w/o refills or anything, being in FL its a necessity.
#14
Lexus Fanatic
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look up matt farah's million mile lexus
as it turns out, the 2nd gen LS odometer will just stop at 999999 and not actually just roll back over lol
go to the 54 minute mark for the final few 'exciting' moments
https://youtu.be/Z7mm0XNHdhw?t=3244
as it turns out, the 2nd gen LS odometer will just stop at 999999 and not actually just roll back over lol
go to the 54 minute mark for the final few 'exciting' moments
https://youtu.be/Z7mm0XNHdhw?t=3244
not knocking a million mile LS though, that's amazing, and it certainly was driving smooth and nice. Outside looks like hell though.
#15
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I think, if Lexus was smart, they would purchase the high-mileage vehicles from their owners and tear them apart to determine what / why they lasted so long. Was it tighter design tolerances, driver habits, materials used, etc? But, on second thought, who would want to learn why things last longer or how to make them last longer when you are in the business of selling those very same things?