The power of scheduled maintenance; '64 Comet outlasts owner's eyesight

[caveman-jim]

93-year-old Rachel Veitch, whose motoring days began nearly half a century ago with her $3,289 purchase of a brand new 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente, is finally giving up the car because she has swerved into an impassable roadblock: "I am legally blind, so I can no longer drive my lovely Chariot," she says. A stickler for keeping the car in mint-running condition, the Orlando, Fla., woman drove the car 576,000 miles, enough distance to circle the globe 21 times. All it took was 18 batteries, eight mufflers, three sets of shocks, and oil changes too numerous to count.

http://now.msn.com/now/0402-florida-...s-mercury.aspx

[VW_Factor]

Originally Posted by caveman-jim

93-year-old Rachel Veitch, whose motoring days began nearly half a century ago with her $3,289 purchase of a brand new 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente, is finally giving up the car because she has swerved into an impassable roadblock: "I am legally blind, so I can no longer drive my lovely Chariot," she says. A stickler for keeping the car in mint-running condition, the Orlando, Fla., woman drove the car 576,000 miles, enough distance to circle the globe 21 times. All it took was 18 batteries, eight mufflers, three sets of shocks, and oil changes too numerous to count.

http://now.msn.com/now/0402-florida-...s-mercury.aspx

indeed.

This is what happens when you take care of your vehicles.

Also, they most certainly don't build them like they used too.

[Elysian]

That. Is. AWESOME.

[Shadowless]

Originally Posted by Elysian

That. Is. AWESOME.

This.

I'm amazed she only went through 3 sets of shocks

Built Ford Tough

[VW_Factor]

Originally Posted by Shadowless

This.

I'm amazed she only went through 3 sets of shocks

Built Ford Tough

You know, because no other brand of vehicle has ever reached that milestone.

[nrs421]

honda gave some a guy a new accord after his old one hit a million miles.

[Shadowless]

Originally Posted by VW_Factor

You know, because no other brand of vehicle has ever reached that milestone.

Sure as hell wasn't a VW

you mad bro?

Originally Posted by nrs421

honda gave some a guy a new accord after his old one hit a million miles.

Yeah I remember that, thought that was pretty cool.

[Quickstrike]

It helps that she lives in Florida. Didn't have to cold start that thing 6 months of the year.

[gamefoo21]

She must of bought some cheap batteries...

2.67 Years average life...

[DiaperJe|\|i3]

Good for her. She would never have pulled it off in canada. Too much damn rust.

[Greasy]

Yeah, no way a car would last that long up north. It would rust out from under you!

Still cool to hear about a car lasting that long though.

[Sasquach]

Originally Posted by DiaperJe|\|i3

Good for her. She would never have pulled it off in canada. Too much damn rust.

What?

Someone up here reached 1,000,000 kms in an old (like 1989 or something )Corolla...i think on the original transmission and engine still.

And i can recall another one in an early 90's chevy truck.

[VW_Factor]

Originally Posted by Shadowless

Sure as hell wasn't a VW

you mad bro?

Actually ...

'94 Guinness Book of Records: "The highest recorded mileage for a car was 1,442,044 authenticated miles up to 25 Jan 1993 for a 1963
Volkswagen Beetle owned by Albert Klein of Pasadena, CA.

I realize this was some time ago..

But really? Any car with maintenance is going to last nub.

Edit : I think the current record holder is an older Volvo.

[DiaperJe|\|i3]

Originally Posted by Sasquach

What?

Someone up here reached 1,000,000 kms in an old (like 1989 or something )Corolla...i think on the original transmission and engine still.

And i can recall another one in an early 90's chevy truck.

maybe in Alberta. The rest of us use copious amounts of rd salt.

[necropimp]

with proper care rusting from road salt isn't going to be a problem

[curio]

I love the Comet's. My buddy has a Comet Cyclone, I think 1965. It's gonna be a great project for us someday when we both have more time and more money.

[DiaperJe|\|i3]

Lemmie guess necro, you live in Texas?

[necropimp]

Originally Posted by DiaperJe|\|i3

Lemmie guess necro, you live in Texas?

no... it's as simple as some preventative maintenance and keeping your **** clean

[DiaperJe|\|i3]

Originally Posted by necropimp

no... it's as simple as some preventative maintenance and keeping your **** clean

Maybe, I like to think I take care of my cars. I wash them at least once a month. I oil spray them every year. However, I still get rock chips and they still end up rusting. My Mazda is only 4 years old and it already has a small blister. Admittedly, I had 2 10yr old honda's before and they only had minor rust.

Anyone here from a place that gets snow that has a car that's more than 8 years old with no rust?

[ASCI Blue]

I lived in Bend, OR with a car from 1990 till 2007 when I got rid of it. It had rust but it was from the time in NY since in OR they don't salt the roads. I'm pretty sure they don't use salt here in Boise either.

[Pornstar Yard Gnom]

Originally Posted by VW_Factor

Actually ...

HAHA, I was going to say I bet there are a TON of bugs out there with crazy mileage... the amount of them you see on the road today is testament to their life, hell, I think there is 3 on my block.

[DiaperJe|\|i3]

Volvo with 2+ million miles...
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1#.T5X5u-LYXgU

most impressive that this is NYC where conditions are less than ideal.

[VW_Factor]

Originally Posted by DiaperJe|\|i3

Volvo with 2+ million miles...
http://content.usatoday.com/communit...1#.T5X5u-LYXgU

most impressive that this is NYC where conditions are less than ideal.

And that is a story!

[curio]

Damn that's almost 44,000 miles a year for 46 straight years; no way in hell I could do that.

[Nunz]

In NYC no less. That dude is insane

[Alientank]

I think it's doable in Canada. Long as you wash your car down after it gets salt on it and have the underside rust proofed yearly.

[DiaperJe|\|i3]

I had my civic for 10+ years with 350,000KM and the body rust was pretty minimal but it was there. Mostly from not attending to rock chips fast enough. It was rust checked every other year.

[Fat_Daddy_Cool]

Originally Posted by VW_Factor

Actually ...



I realize this was some time ago..

But really? Any car with maintenance is going to last nub.

Edit : I think the current record holder is an older Volvo.

I was going to say the same thing, but with the added tag that it was also the longest production line vehicle to not change from inception to final production. Something like 30 40 years. But I am going from memory.

[VW_Factor]

Originally Posted by Fat_Daddy_Cool

I was going to say the same thing, but with the added tag that it was also the longest production line vehicle to not change from inception to final production. Something like 30 40 years. But I am going from memory.

Given that the very first designs were late 30s. Like 38 or 39.. VW continued to build them in Mexico and Brazil through 2003. Over 21 million of them have been manufactured. Longest running design on a single platform evar.

Edit :

the final original Type 1 VW Beetle (No. 21,529,464) rolled off the production line at Puebla, Mexico, on 30 July 2003 – 65 years after its original launch and unprecedented 58-year production run (counting from 1945, the year VW recognizes as the first year of non-Nazi funded production).