The most durable cars in the world (part 2)

Hyundai Elantra (2013)

Farrah Haines, a female auto parts delivery driver from Olathe, Kansas, USA, has set an unexpected record by reaching a distance of 1 million miles in just 5 years with her reliable 2013 Hyundai Elantra. On average, she travels 548 miles (882 km) per day and 200,000 miles (321,869 km) per year. This number has been confirmed to the astonishment of Hyundai itself.

She hopes to achieve 1.5 million miles with her enduring Hyundai Elantra that has been her faithful companion for so long. However, that didn’t come true when she made a delivery to a local car dealership. Upon arrival, they informed her that it belonged to her and inside was the key to a 2019 Elantra that Hyundai awarded her to recognize her extraordinary achievement.

To achieve this record, she explained simply: “The key is to prioritize regular maintenance and buy a quality car.”

Chevrolet Silverado (1991)

Food distribution employee Frank Oresnik had purchased a used Chevrolet Silverado that had already been on the road for 5 years with 41,000 miles (65,983 km) on the odometer. Equipped with the legendary Chevrolet Small Block engine, the truck went on to surpass the million-mile mark after twelve years. In 2008, the American automaker officially recognized this Silverado pickup truck for traveling approximately 80,000 miles (128,747 km) per year.

After purchasing this truck, Oresnik didn’t want to accumulate more debt by buying another replacement vehicle in case something happened to the Silverado. So he took good care of it and used it very carefully, despite hauling a lot of cargo.

Porsche 356C (1964)

Guy Newmark’s father had bought the latest Porsche 356 at the time, and a few months later, he handed the car over to Guy as a graduation gift.

This San Pedro, California resident used the car daily and reached 1 million miles by 2016. The air-cooled 4-cylinder engine in his 356 Porsche, similar to that of a Volkswagen Beetle, has been rebuilt three times.

Volvo 1800S (1966)

The “king” of all privately-owned long-distance cars is Irv Gordon’s Volvo 1800S. He bought the car from Volvoville dealership in New York on a Friday night in June 1966. The following Monday, he brought it back for a check-up, and the car was confirmed to have travelled 1,500 miles (2,414 km).

He was first mentioned in the Guinness World Records in 1998 after reaching 1.69 million miles (2.72 million km), and surpassed the milestone of 3 million miles in 2013. Gordon passed away at the age of 77 in 2018, and his car has accumulated a total of 3.2 million miles (5.14 million km).

Mercedes-Benz 280SE (1970)

George and Luzstella Koschel, residents of Cam County, California, “acquired” a new Mercedes-Benz 280SE in Germany in 1970. They drove it for 1,019,000 miles (1.64 million km) before selling it back to Mercedes-Benz, which displayed the car at the 2005 Detroit Motor Show.

However, the current record holder for the highest mileage on a Mercedes-Benz car is taxi driver Gregorios Sachinidis from Athens, Greece, with a 1976 240D. The car has reached the milestone of 2.8 million miles (4.51 million km) but has had its engine replaced four times.