Skip to main content

There are several famous vehicles that have made it past one million miles: from a Toyota Tacoma delivery truck to a 1963 Plymouth Fury taxi. But two million? That is a mythic number, merely whispered about. That is until two incredible vehicles broke the two million mile mark.

1966 Volvo 1800S

Red Volvo coupe parked in front of a sunset.
Irving Gordon’s 1966 Volvo 1800s | Volvo

Irving Gordon’s 1966 Volvo holds the current Guinness World Record for the personal car with the highest mileage. Gordon is a Long Island native who was a science teacher by trade. He bought a red Volvo P1800 new and says many of the miles he put on were driving to car shows, though he once roadtripped the car from New York to Vancouver, Canada. “Obviously, I like to drive…It’s my way of relaxing and getting away from it all.” 

Gordon changed his oil every 3,000-3,500 miles and swapped transmission fluid every 25,000 miles. And he of course had a strict “No eating or drinking in the car” rule. By two million miles, Gordon had been through 50 drive-in movies, 80 tires, 400 spark plugs, 667 oil changes, 6,400 tanks of gas, and just one engine rebuild (at 675,000 miles). So he just kept rolling. He made it to an incredible 3.2 million miles before dying at the age of 77.

I’m sure Gordon’s strict maintenance schedule had something to do with his Volvo’s incredible mileage. But the careful way he drove the car didn’t hurt. He claims he never pulled a U-turn and once made a clutch last for 445,000 mile.

1976 Mercedes-Benz 240D

White Mercedes-Benz diesel sedan.
Mercedes-Benz 240D | Vanja Milicic via Unsplash

Gregorios Sachinidis bought his 1976 Mercedes 240D to use as both a personal vehicle and a taxi. He drove passengers all over his hometown of Thessalonica, Greece. He kept up with his oil changes and other maintenance, and his diesel Mercedes just kept running.

When Sachinidis hit 2,850,000 miles in 2004, Mercedes-Benz approached him. The automaker said his sedan was the longest running car in the company’s history. So they asked to put it on display in their museum. He said “No deal,” he needed a car to run around. So the company offered him a brand new C-Class. Sachinidis decided a brand new car for his two-million mile one was a good deal, and they swapped even up.

Next, find out about the Toyota Tacoma with 1.5-million ‘God Blessed’ miles, or see an interview with Irving Gordon in the video below:

Best in Sedans
Avatar photo
Staff Writer

Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.