3 Million Miles in a 46-Year-Old Volvo? Not a Problem!

How much was the most mileage that you have ever seen or even recorded yourself in a car? 100,000km? Or maybe 500,000km? If you have yet to even come close to maxing out your six-digit odometer, then make way Irv Gordon from New York, USA and his four-wheeled sweetheart, a gleaming red Volvo P1800. Not so familiar with that particular model? That is not much of a surprise since this car could be traced back all the way from the 60’s.

Gordon loves to travel, and it was in this little Volvo that had took him to almost every reachable state in the United States, which does not include Alaska and Hawaii of course. His love towards travelling had earned him the first million miles (1.6 million km) on the odometer at just after 21 years of driving and was still going strong throughout the years, even when he could not fork out some more for the air conditioner which was an option back then!

And now, 46 years after the first time he got his hands on the Volvo, the car had almost clocked a stratospheric range of three million miles (4.8 million km)for its mileage, which is almost the same as going around the world through the equator for 1,200 times! The Volvo is now only a shy of 36,000 miles to reach the three million mark, and he aims to reach it in somewhere before or early 2013. In case if any of you might doubt the validity of this claim (since the odometer could not even fit seven digits in it), Gordon and his Volvo had already secured a spot in the Guinness Book of Records as the Highest Mileage Car for a Non-Commercial Vehicle.

There is no major secret too, as he just does the usual maintenance that a car gets; oil changes, washing, and so on (although he did sent the engine for a rebuilt for two times). Maybe it is the satisfaction of driving that had enabled him to rake such an amazing range, or it could be on the Volvo’s reliability itself; besides of not letting anyone else drive his beloved red Swedish coupe.

Sources:

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblogpost.aspx?post=010cc0af-e437-4754-bcc8-dd1da7923a78

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_P1800

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/09/ny-volvo-owner-closing-in-on-3-million-miles-in-p1800s-w-video/

Migrated comments from old platform:

07-11-2012, 03:48 PM

peeche

Senior Member

wow.!
old volvo is truly bulletproof.!
my perdana v6 only clock 190k km before it puffed out blue smoke due to leaking valve seals.
upper and lower arm need to change annually.