We’ve all seen those stories about some old-timer driving around in their 40 year-old car, proudly announcing that they’ve raised a family in it, grown their career in it, retired comfortable in it, and how the thing still “runs like a top” after all these years. It’s a classic local news piece. But this story from CBC News Nova Scotia is a bit different, because the owner, Andy Campbell, is an absolute legend.
To be clear, I don’t know Campbell at all: I just saw this news story from CBC, and I was blown away for reasons I will soon enumerate.
But before we get to them, here’s CBC’s video on Campbell:
The car in question is a 1985 Toyota Tercel, a boxy four-wheel drive vehicle that you’d be forgiven for mistaking as an old Subaru. The thing is cool, especially since its “3A” four-cylinder engine is known to be relatively reliable (if a bit gutless at 62 hp), it’s got an “old school” lever that you pull to go from front-wheel drive (yes, longitudinal engine, front drive!) to rear-wheel drive, and it’s got a giant manual transmission shifter that features a “very low” 4.7:1 gear ratio for off-road use:
But what makes Campbell a legend is not just that he drives a cool old car with a stickshift. No, what makes him a legend is his plan for putting another million kilometers on the car he’s owned since ~1990. That plan involves his shed:
“Over the years, [Campbell has] stashed away enough spare parts to try to keep it going for 1 million more,” the CBS News Nova Scotia video host says in the voiceover, before cutting to Campbell, who says: “Heater motors, radiator, fans, and stuff right — just things that I hope I never will have to use again. But if I do, instead of going to Toyota, I come here.”
But then you look in the footage of the shed and it’s not just small parts like heater motors and fans and radiators. Campbell has two spare engine blocks just sitting in on some dollies:
And look at all these starter motors:
And he’s also got simpler parts like tires, exhaust bits, and taillight housings:
Campbell is not only a prolific Tercel parts hoard— err, collector — but what’s most impressive is that he’s a wrench. “Except for the front-end alignment, he does all the maintenance himself,” says the CBC host, going on to mention: “Almost everything has been replaced or repaired. The body is probably the only original part left, and that’s had work done on it, too.”
But just as you think Campbell — a stickshift-driving older gentleman who drives a 775,000-mile car that he fixes himself using a prolific parts stash in his shed — couldn’t possibly be more legendary, the video shows him drive out of his garage in his “new” spare car for when his O.G. Tercel needs fixing:
It’s the same dang car. A year newer, but it’s the same car. And in the same color!
“This is my new one — ’86. How you like it?” Campbell asks.
What an absolute legend.
Much as liked mine (with far fewer miles on it) this guy’s ’85 seems more like a Ship of Theseus, compared to the Million Mile Volvos.
It’s like when the US Army would put an undamaged tail rotor blade from a downed Huey and claim it was just repaired, to keep the aircraft loss statistics palatable during the Viet Nam war.
Picked the right car for this. Used to have one just like it – originally the same color but repainted a very handsome teal metallic. It only broke down once, just after I bought it when it started misfiring somewhere in the middle of Death Valley. I opened the hood, just for looks since I don’t do much wrenching myself, and realized that a spark plug wire had come loose. Plopped it back on and it never failed again.
Paid $1,300 bucks for it, drove it from Colorado to Baja California and all across the southwest and then sold it for $1,100 a year and a half later.
There’s just something about getting to know a car so well that you are probably better at fixing it than almost any run of the mill mechanic… The ins and outs of a “major” project suddenly become a “done that before, no big deal” project. Love it!
I want to do this, but haven’t found the right car yet. My current car is a basic 13 Passat with 80k miles that I will keep until it needs major replacement parts. Right now I’m looking for a clean 6-6 Accord or NC Miata to make into a million mile car.
I had an ’84 SR5 edition in kind of a desaturated mint green. I bought it used for $1500 after selling my 90 Toyota SR5 V6 pickup to help scrape together enough money to fund a down payment for a home N of Seattle in 1994.
It was a really fun little car. Especially when it snowed. I think I only used in 4×4 mode a couple of times when FWD alone wasn’t enough. But the thought of putting that many miles in that car makes me wonder what BDSM gear Andy has tucked away further into that shed.
And I saw a red one in Medford, OR maybe 15 years ago.
I don’t think I ever see these in the wild in any color other than gold.
Weird.
I mean, unless it’s just one Tercel following me around.
But that would too weird, right?
Following me around in a gold Tercel, not expecting me to notice, for years on end. Who would do that?
And why?
It would be weirder if there were multiple old tercels in your area.
How else is this guy supposed to put a million miles on his Tercel?
I had a buddy in HS with a red Tercel
Of all the cars in the world to spend tens of thousands of hours in? This would not be my choice.
Plan for getting an old Toyota to 1,000,000 miles:
Change the oil.
SO cool. I think this is a fantastic choice of car to do this with.
An employer decades ago had one of these (not 4×4) for staff use and it was “affectionately” referred to as “The Widow Maker“. I refused to drive it and drove my own personal car.
Mine had the inclinometer on the dashboard. Showed you when you upside down. Also it was a great car, especially those c pillar windows for visibility. Along with the 914 one I miss
Cool I guess, but having driven one of those when new (HS friend’s dad had one) I can’t imagine wanting to spend that much time in such a complete penalty box of a car. It made my ’82 Subaru seem like a BMW.
I’m mostly impressed that he has managed to keep it from rotting out from under him in salty Nova Scotia. My friend’s dad’s car was already getting visible rust when my friend wrecked it out senior year of high school. Oh yeah, they don’t handle particularly well, as he found when he overcooked it into a corner and rolled it into a ditch – and he wasn’t going THAT fast (it couldn’t go THAT fast if you tried). Nobody hurt but the car. Replaced with an AWD Dodge Colt Vista, because his dad was never in a hurry, but they were a family of ski bums.
Ultimately any car will last as long as you are willing to spend money/time on it. But I have to feel that Irv Gordon’s Volvo was a lot more deserving of the devotion.
I mean if you never drive anything else, then you think that car is pretty good. My car was in the shop for a few days, so I drove my wife’s car more – and it isn’t like we’re talking an ’86 Excel to a ’23 S550 – they are both 10+ year old “regular Joe” Japanese cars.
But I was smacked with how much less of a pleasant place my car is during my usual commute. 10+ years of me being perfectly content until I replace the tool on the same route for a few days for one that is quieter and smoother riding. Either that or my transformation into an old man who would prefer a Lexus ES over a IS500 is complete.
After working at Lexus for a good while now I’m def more down to rock into an ES instead of roll into an IS lmaoo
I used to not get it – who would buy one of those!? Now I get it. Or maybe a Crown. Part of me wants to get one of the last ES350s though instead of the hybrid.
Never found mine uncomfortable to drive especially the SR5 model with the ‘sports’ seats. The suspension and handling were praised at the time (50/50 weight distribution like your BMW). and it has a little more power than the similar year Subaru. I’m guessing you drove the auto?
I don’t believe there were any 4×4 Tercels of this generation with an automatic. All manuals with the goofy “extra low” gear. I don’t know how you would get one going fast enough to figure out if it handled or not. It was an absolute and utter dog, even in comparison with my ’82 Subaru (1800cc 5spd GL sedan), which was no ball of flame itself. As my friend found out, lift-throttle snap oversteer was very much a feature, which resulted in the Tercel making a rather large hole in the scenery and being written off.
This is definitely David in 30 years but with i3 parts. Wait, did I say 30 years? I meant now.
That is awesome!
The best part is that those old analog odometers roll over to zero after 999999 rather than the new digital shit that stops at 999999 wtf?
My 50 year old Corolla has a 5 digit odometer, so it rolls over at just 99k kms. I have absolutely no idea how many times it has started from zero at this point and I love that.
Impressive parts hoarding skills indeed! We have another member on Tercel4wd.com that has over 1 mil kms on their wagon as well in Nova Scotia. Do they even use salt on the roads there?
A friend had one of these in high school and college. It was only referred to as The Lunchbox
He has plans to put a million more miles but I couldn’t find how many miles he has put on it so far. I worked with an accountant in the 2000s he had a 1974 Plymouth something he bought new. I am not sure how many miles he had on it after 40 years or if he is still driving it. However it is proof cheap non car guys can make a car last.
Car guys come in all flavors.
Just because I have no interest in tracking a car or even owning something fast (anymore), doesn’t mean I’m not a car guy.
Weird take. He’s Defiantly a car guy and can spin a wrench. Just because he has a Toyota with its ease of maintenance (and 50/50 weight distribution in the Tercel wagon) rather than a Euro chasing a Nurburgring time.
Definitely. Who cares if it is a Tercel or a C2 Vette. The guy has a nearly identical back up, a shed full of spare parts, and does his own work. More of a car guy than 99% of the enthusiasts out there.
“This Hero With A 775,000 Mile Toyota”
You really are something else, dum dum…bunch of gibberish nonsense
I get hoarding parts for an old car but he does know that tires go bad with age – right?
It’s Canada. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt that he has a set of winter tires for both his and the fancy new one. If that’s true, he’s maybe got only one extra set, which is reasonable. (And I didn’t watch the video so apologies if there’s a shot of him showing his Tire Mountain)
That Toyota is like a pet parrot: in other words, Campbell better make provisions for it in his will because it’s going to outlive him. Great story!
Impressively clean cars, especially considering he’s in an area of the world where that metal would most certainly corrode.
Yeah, CBC, spill the beans – what are his rustproofing secrets?
He must’ve bought the undercoating from the dealership.
Could’ve been Ziebart or Rusty Jones back then; both operated in Canada
He could’ve made a trek to Minnesota to get the TruCoat.
I think TruCoat was just a paint sealant to prevent oxidation. Bill Diehl at Midwest Federal let them talk him into it on his Toronado, said it washed off in the first few months
Old Bill’s Toronado was pretty sweet though.
context is this great scene in Fargo
They install that TruCoat at the factory, doncha know.
I was able to save you $100!
Corrosion Free,it’s a Canadian company. Great product.
Ive used it and it works.
https://corrosionfree.com/
It works.
i was skeptical, I read the study paper the Canadian Army did on corrosion protection and figured I’d give a can a test here in the land of winter salt.
It tested ahead of all the others such as Krown T-40,LPS, WD-40 ,Fluid Film etc
It worked for me,it’s about 16 dollars a can if you choose individual aerosol cans .
https://corrosionfree.com/store/rust-cure-formula-3000-spray-can/
I read on another site that he regularly coats the undercarriage, I assume on both drivers.