With enough miles under our respective belts, at this point everybody’s got their own idea of which cars are the likeliest to accumulate a huge reading on their odometers. Even if your mileage might literally vary depending on where in the world you’re located, there are going to be a few of the same brands in the ballpark. A diesel Mercedes is going to shoot for a million, at least the ones made in the Golden Era of Daimler-Benz. A big-mile Toyota’s practically a given, as long as rust doesn’t get there first.
A Volvo 1800S is the highest-mile car in the world, and you probably won’t have a problem finding a diesel Volvo wagon with over 300,000 miles – at least in Northern Europe. One of the biggest-mile Volvos in the world is a 1979 Volvo 245 GL with the Volkswagen van-derived D6 six-cylinder diesel, originally sent to deliver mail and magazines in Northern Finland and retired at 1,630,000 miles, or 2,650,000 km.
Now, these are the likeliest big-mile cars, the ones that are the easiest to come up with. What car would really surprise you as a big-mile overachiever?
Collecting Cars is auctioning a Porsche 924 Carrera GT that has been in the same family since new, and it’s estimated to have done 530,000 km, or 330,000 miles. Estimated, because the speedometer (along with the odometer) was changed at one point, and it’s a five-digit odo anyway. The original gauge cluster follows with the car.
The full mileage has been calculated according to service records, which have been retained: they run from December 1980 to October 2025, and by October 2015 the car had done half a million kilometers or 310,000 miles.
The turbocharged, 210-horsepower 924 Carrera GT is a rare homologation special, one of 406 cars built, and while it’s not matching numbers – the engine was replaced after the timing belt let go – it takes huge dedication to keep a rare sports car in the same family for over 45 years and keep it accumulating miles like a family wagon would.
The Guards Red Porsche hasn’t been a trailer queen, which also shows, as some crash damage was repaired in 1999, at which point it had already been repainted once due to a carwash mishap. It also benefits from an older Strosek bodykit install and an earlier interior retrim. Currently, the auction is at 25,000 Euros, or $28,5k, with a day to go.
Another example is nearing the half a million kilometer mark: it’s a grey 1991 Lotus Elan currently for sale on the British AutoTrader.
The Lotus has some clearcoat damage, the Renault taillights look like they could use refurbishing, the left rear corner has been badly repainted, but that’s all fair – one look at the odometer reveals the car has 302,000 miles on it.
I’m sure there are plenty of Isuzu engines in the world with 300,000 miles or more on them, but there can’t be that many of those in Lotuses/Loti. And it’s even the turbocharged version! It’s being advertised at £4,995, or $6,600.
If you buy a car with big miles, there’s some sort of implied idea that you’re gonna be fine driving the hell out of it, as it’s likely to have seen worse, and the miles on it mean it will have been cheap. But with this sort of Kilometerkönig miles, the prospect changes. You have to keep it up! With, say, half a million miles just out of reach, you can’t just let it die for any reason. It has to pass the milestone, even if you haven’t been the one accumulating most of the miles. Push it to the limit, if you have to.
Images: Collecting Cars; AutoTrader
Modern Mercedes S-Class.
Anything my adult children drive. For some reason they cannot keep a car in one piece.
Unfortunately anything with GM’s L87, Toyota’s V6 twin turbo, or any engine with a wet rubber belt. Bean counters definitely overruled engineering.
With a spare million dollars: any BMW
Elsewise: Camry or Accord
I answered the MOST likely, sorry.
Properly maintained, fluids, service, regular wash and wax, and not driven exceptionally hard or too lightly, I can’t see why most any vehicle couldn’t make and break the 500k mile mark.
If I take my personal experience into account, it would an 8th gen Honda Civic Si. The amount of effort, cost and time consumed in trying to get that thing from 140k to 160k has been just stupid.
I have no doubt the engine or transmission would make it to 300k, but there is no way the body, suspension, brakes, or electronics would let that car get there without turning it into the Ship of Theseus.
You might be the first person I’ve ever heard say that. I had one – an early build ’07 sedan – that I bought at 200k, and sold it last summer with over 320k, with nothing added to it except really hard use. It broke an engine mount, but I can’t really fault it for that – it was flying through the air at one of the several Rallycrosses it did. Track days, AutoX, Lyft/Uber – it did it all. The A/C even worked the whole time I had it. After lots and lots of experience with the brand, it’s the only Honda I’ve ever had that truly lived up to they hype. I know bad versions of every car get produced, but, man – to get a bad 8th gen Si, that’s next-level bad luck. Hopefully it clears up.
Mine’s been converted into a dedicated track car now, which is neat to see. I was going to do it, but, after dragging my feet for years and other projects piling up, I sold it to someone else to do it.
Mazdas, especially the rotary engines, but even the non-rotary ones rust before they ever have a chance at 300k LOL
Also, that Elan is fucking awesome! I just wish it was a cooler color and LHD. Of course that would be the one to make it 300k because it’s really an Isuzu 😛
Anything manufactured in a Stellantis factory
Land Rover Freelander. I’ve never seen anything so aggressively self destruct as a 50,000 mile Freelander.
A water cooled volkswagen marketed as a porsche. yall nailed it.
Chrysler tC by Maserati? Honorable mention?
I think most ordinary cars these days can make 300K miles, if they’re maintained well. And driven a lot. None of my cars will make 300K miles because I dont have 75 years left to drive them and I drive less than 5K miles most years.
My vehicles, as I plan to spend my remaining years living in a place where driving is not required for every single thing I do. Bye suburbia!
I can’t think of one specifically, but it is probably British
I know folks have already said this, but any rotary-powered Mazda RX. I adore the RX-7 and like the RX-8, but short of an LS-swap, they aren’t making it to 300,000 miles (though I’m sure there is a masochist somewhere who has done it, just to prove me wrong).
I remember someone in the KC area 20+ years ago who had a 300k+ FB RX-7. He was the original owner, and the motor hadn’t been opened. Silver IIRC, probably have pictures somewhere….
I’ll also throw in the Dodge Hornet. They will die ignominiously.