1990 Honda Accord Owner Crosses 1 Million Miles, Gets New Accord for Persistence
The average life expectancy of a solidly maintained vehicle is about eight years or 150,000 miles, according to Consumer Reports. Take that figure into consideration when Honda announced it found an owner that crossed the million mile marker on his odometer with his 21-year-old Honda Accord.
This feat was accomplished by Joe LoCicero of Maine, who has taken fastidious care of his high mileage Honda Accord since he acquired it 15 years ago. In terms of servicing his vehicle, LoCicero has followed the owner’s manual and maintenance schedule to a T, according to Honda. He checks fluids weekly and changes the oil every 5,000 miles, always using the same brand and making sure to switch the grade of motor oil when the seasons change. He never lets the fuel tank get anywhere close to empty and never rides heavy on the brakes while driving. LoCicero needs to keep a close eye on his car since he drives about 62,500 miles every year, about four times more than the typical driver. Even so, the fuel pump and both cooling fans needed to be replaced due to wear, and so did the sedan’s radiator, twice.
For his efforts, Honda gave LoCicero a brand-new 2012 Honda Accord and even threw him a ticker-tape parade in honor of his million mile achievement.
Of course, if you were as religiously devoted to your car as Joe is, you could probably make your Honda last just as long and rack up some serious mileage. Still, we’re interested in knowing how he avoided getting any rust on his 1990 Accord during its million-mile run — body rust was a common problem for Hondas of this vintage.
