In the March 6 column, Dr. Gridlock asked original owners of high-mileage vehicles to weigh in on what their odometer reads and how they have kept the vehicle running so long.
We got responses from all over the metropolitan area, and the local owner with the most reported miles was Lee E. Paige Jr. of Herndon, who said he has a Toyota pickup truck with 445,843 miles on it. Wow!
I've never been able to break 200,000 miles, but a lot of readers have. They reported that they achieved vehicular longevity by changing the oil every 3,000 to 6,000 miles, by meeting maintenance schedules and by attending to little problems before they become big ones.
Seems to me that is the best way to own a car. With depreciation lowering the value in the first few years, an older, well-cared-for car -- already paid for -- provides travel at minimum cost. Of course, I'm not hearing from owners of used cars that blew up.
I heard from original owners who had 200,000-plus miles on their Honda, Toyota, Mercedes, Volvo, Saab and BMW vehicles, and also on domestic vehicles, such as Ford, Chevrolet and even Oldsmobile.
Here are reports from some of the owners in your area.
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
As of this morning, my brother's Toyota pickup has 467,536 miles on it. He uses it as his personal vehicle and to deliver newspapers on a rural route in North Carolina.
My other brother is a Toyota master technician, which may have something to do with it.
Rick Pearce
Dale City
I had to eliminate your brother from the competition because he lives out of our area. However, a tip of the hat to him.
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
I have a 1988 BMW 528e with over 300,000 miles.
It would be nice if BMW gave away a new BMW to a winner !
Cynthia Clark
Manassas
Dear Dr. Gridlock:
