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Summary A New York man's Volvo is close to hitting the three million mile mark.
A red Volvo P1800S has been running its engine since 1966. On Tuesday it was hitting the roads again on New Yorks Long Island. The two-door coupe is owned by Irvin Gordon, a retired school teacher who has driven the car everywhere the past 46 years - putting nearly 3 million miles on its odometer.Gordon bought the car back in June 30 1966 for $4,150 (USD) which ate up almost his entire years worth of salary which at the time was $4,200.He said he had a test drive at a local Volvo dealer and fell in love with the model, but couldnt afford a vehicle with air conditioning. He opted for the red showroom model and started driving away the miles the first day.I put 1500 miles on it the first week-end I owned the car. I picked up the car on a Friday night, I came back Monday morning to the dealership for its first major check-up which was supposed to be 1500 miles in those days, the 72-year-old told Reuters.They were supposed to check the wheel alignment, adjust the valves, clean the car and off I went again. So its been a love affair ever since.Gordon and his red car is a familiar sight to locals such as Angela Lentzeres, who has known Gordon since 1983 when she started working at a local diner that she now co-owns.Hes always a regular here for breakfast, on his way to work, driving with his car, coming for breakfast.Gordons coupe has a fitting vanity plate that reads MILNMILER. His front bumper is plastered with memorabilia from his mileage achievements.Since 2002 he is the record holder of the highest vehicle mileage known to exist verified by Guinness World Records.He says that there is no special secret to his vehicles longevity.My driving style is one that the pieces and parts last for a long time. And other than normal maintenance whatever the book calls for, not what somebody else says but what the owners manual calls for those are the things I have been doing. Obviously it works out.His engine is still the same from 1966 although it has been rebuilt twice.Right now his odometer reads 66273, but in reality he has put over 2.9 million miles on it and is just 33,727 miles short of reaching the 3 million mark.Over the years he has kept meticulously track of his mileage count and has traveled the world with his car that has made him many new friends, as Volvo recognized Gordons achievements and has sent him on trips around the world to represent the brand.
