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What are the highest mileage cars? it takes care and a lot of time behind the wheel to hit 1 million miles or more. Check out our list of high-mile cars.
Ten Cars That Made It to a Million Miles, and Beyond
For most of us, getting a car to 200,000 miles on the odometer feels like a major feat. It takes dedication, diligence, and a wise purchasing decision at the outset. But even if you’ve chosen your ride based on expected reliability, getting that odometer to roll all the way to seven digits feels like a pipe dream. And yet, there have been a few die-hards among us willing to do what it takes to rack up major miles. Below are the ten highest mileage cars on record and a few insights from their owners on how they went beyond 1 millions miles.
2006 Ford F-250 – 1.2 Million Miles
This 2006 turbodiesel F-250 was driven over a million miles by owner Phil Marsella as a work truck. It only took Phil five years to get there, too; averaging over 200,000 miles a year. These diesels are known for their durability for good reason. The first engine got to 400,000 miles before it conked out. The next engine, bought from a salvage yard, got over 800,000 miles.
2006 Chevrolet Silverado 3500 – 1.22 Million Miles
It looks like 2006 was a good year for build quality because Hugh and Tammy Pennington were able to get their Silverado 3500 to over a million miles in just 6 years of driving. Most of those miles were added delivering camping trailers and hauling supplies to New Orleans post-Hurricane Katrina. The couple says they were meticulous about maintenance, including oil changes every 5,000 miles.
1966 Mercedes-Benz 250 SE – 1.28 Million Miles
Today’s Mercedes are known for their cutting-edge technology and the frequency with which these bells and whistles tend to go on the fritz. But the Mercs of the 1960s and ‘70s were a different breed of car. Simply and elegantly engineered, cars like this Mercedes-Benz 250 SE were dead reliable. The original owner of this ’66 had already put 877,000 on the car before he sold it to a family that was determined to get it beyond a million miles. They did just that and more. The car has had a lot of work done over that time, including two bottom-engine repairs, four top-engine repairs, and two rebuilt transmissions.
1991 Chevrolet C1500 – 1.29 Million Miles
This Chevy C1500 is another long-hauling work truck. Owner Frank Oresnik drove the truck for work, shuttling seafood from Green Bay to Chicago on an almost daily basis. The secret to getting a snow-belt truck beyond one million miles? Repeated rust proofing of the undercarriage.
1983 Lincoln Town Car – 1.3 Million Miles
Chet Belisle, owner of this million-plus mile Lincoln Town Car, claims he never needed to get a major repair on his car in well over a million miles of driving. Instead, Chet was meticulous about replacing parts before they expired. This included replacing anything with a lifetime guarantee from Lincoln. Chet’s attention to detail also extended to how he drove the car, coaxing 22 mpg from its oversized V8.
1963 Volkswagen Beetle – 1.61 Million Miles
What the Beetle may lack in durability it more than makes up for in ease of maintenance and repair. Albert Klein says he originally spent $1,900 on the Beetle when he bought it new in 1963. Over the next 24 years he spent some $38,000 on seven engines, three transmissions, 150 tires, and 35,600 gallons of gas. Talk about an automotive labor of love.
1963 Plymouth Fury – 1.62 Million Miles
Montreal taxi driver Joseph Vaillancourt put over one and half million miles on his ’63 Plymouth Fury. In 1999, Joe was closing in on the world record and was in talks with Guinness to verify it. Unfortunately, Joe and his Fury were struck by a car that ran a red light. Joe was uninjured, but the Fury was totaled.
1979 Volvo 245 GL – 1.63 Million Miles
Like OG Mercedes, the storied Volvo 240 is a legend of reliability. This 1979 Volvo 245 GL was driven to well beyond a million miles as a company car for the Finnish logistics form S.E. Makinen. The company said they didn’t do anything special beyond keeping up with regular maintenance. You can read more about the Volvo 240 here.
1976 Mercedes-Benz 240D – 2.85 Million Miles
And now we get to the next level of mileage with George Sachinidis’ Mercedes-Benz 240D. George accumulated 2.85 million miles driving it as part-time taxi and personal transportation. In 2004, Mercedes traded George a new C-Class for the highest mileage Benz of all time. It now resides in Mercedes automotive museum.
1966 Volvo P1800 – 3.25 Million Miles
Another old-school Volvo, this one owned by one Irving Gordon who drove his 1966 P1800 to over three million miles and the Guinness Book of World Records title. Irv said he put on a lot of the miles on cross-country drives across the US, including one trip from Vancouver to New York City. And how did Irv get all those miles? Regular maintenance that included oil changes every 3,000 miles and new transmission fluid very 25,000 miles. The P1800 was built to keep rolling; the first clutch on Irv’s car lasted an astounding 450,000 miles.
Think you can get to 1 million miles? Start by considering some of these most reliable used cars.
