When my car reached 168,000 miles, I felt a sense of achievement, so seeing a car hit 1,000,000 miles is truly remarkable.
Although reaching a million miles might seem improbable, one individual did just that with a Volvo he owned for over 30 years.
The fact that the modest Volvo achieved this milestone is noteworthy, considering that many cars would fail long before reaching such a high number.
Jimi O’Shea purchased a Volvo 740 GLE back in 1991, with no expectation that it would last more than three decades.
The purchase stirred some controversy, as O’Shea’s father worked at a Ford dealership and was not pleased with his son’s choice of vehicle.
In an effort to appease his father, O’Shea vowed to maintain the car until it reached one million miles. Little did he know, it would take him 30 years to fulfill that promise.
The achievement of getting a standard Volvo to such high mileage – much less a million miles – is quite impressive, given that the brand is not typically associated with high mileage vehicles.
Although O’Shea’s Volvo reached a million miles, it required some upgrades along the way. Over the years, the car underwent several engine and transmission replacements, but its chassis body has remained the original from 1991.
Reaching the million-mile mark did not go unnoticed in the automotive world, especially by Volvo themselves.
According to Fox2, O’Shea was initially motivated by hearing about Irv Gordon, who received a new car after surpassing the million-mile mark.
Gordon took things further by driving his 1996 Volvo P1800 for 3.2 million miles, equivalent to traveling to the moon and back 14 times.
O’Shea received a significant reward from Volvo for his milestone, though it wasn’t in cash or money.
The carmaker presented him with a new S60 Sedan, albeit with a condition.
Volvo allowed him to drive the car free of charge for two years, after which he would need to purchase it.
It’s still a two-year free car, which is a great deal. Based on his mileage history, O’Shea could potentially cover about 66,666 miles in those two years before needing to buy the new S60 Sedan.