Generally, if a car makes it to the 200,000-mile mark , you can rest assured that you got your money’s worth. However, one man’s 2000 Honda Accord made it way past that and has now passed the 1 million-mile mark .
Dexter Mills of Durham, North Carolina, is a vehicle inspector by trade, so it’s no surprise that he knows a thing or two about how to make a car go the extra mile — literally.
On March 6, 2019, Mills took to Facebook to share a picture of his odometer reading 999,999 miles and he acknowledged that this was probably the home stretch for his faithful vehicle.
“I think my car is trying to tell me she is ready to retire,” he wrote. “Close to three weeks ago my 2000 Honda Accord went over the one million mile mark. This car has been absolutely fantastic!”
This article originally appeared at Simplemost.com
Mills went on to explain that he believes his car was indicating to him that it was finally ready to throw in the towel.
“When I was working as an automotive technician, I would sometimes joke with co-workers about cars having a mind of their own,” he wrote. “Once my car went over one million miles, one of the warning lights (never been on before) would intermittently flash. A quick diagnostic check didn’t show any abnormalities. I think I got the message.”
Mills bought the car brand-new and began driving it as his primary vehicle to get to shops and dealerships across the state for his job in 2006. He estimates that he logged about 65,000 miles a year.
He says that the secrets to his success include getting regular oil and filter changes and going easy on the car when he drives it.
“Probably one of the biggest things is I don’t drive cars hard,” he told WRAL . “Every car that we own or have owned, I typically drive it in a non-aggressive manner. I don’t do jackrabbit starts.”
Over the years, the car has needed new parts, including an alternator, starter and compressor. He has also replaced the engine twice and was able to save money by doing the repairs himself.
Although he’s a bit sad to let go of his trusty car, Mills says he plans to upgrade to a new SUV soon. We can’t wait to see how long his next vehicle can make it!