2003 Honda Accord Hits 1,000,000 Miles on Original Engine
The owner had to do a little more than just change the oil, but it made it.
It's not often cars reach 1 million miles, but it's more plausible for certain makes/models than others. Take Justin Kilmer's 2003 Honda Accord, for instance. We did a deep dive on the car back when it had a minuscule 982,000 miles on the odometer. Now we're happy to say it's surpassed 1,000,000 miles, and although the car probably needs a new engine, it passed into the realm of seven figures on its original 3.0-liter V6.
How has it amassed so many miles in 20 years? Kilmer is a medical courier, so he spends most of his waking hours driving. His wife actually purchased the stick-shift Accord Coupe before they were married. In 2015, before Kilmer became a courier, it had 185,000 miles. For any of you doing the math, Kilmer has driven, on average, right around 125,000 miles a year since he entered the profession. He captured the moment on video, of course:
The car's original engine is on its last legs. One cylinder has low compression and the car has developed a misfire. That being said, the engine has been one of the more reliable parts of the car. The transmission had to be replaced, for instance, as well as a few clutches. Unexpected wearables include the driver's seat, control arms, and door lock actuators. It's also on its third radiator.
Despite the motor lasting this long, it also must be said that most of the accessories had to be replaced. The exhaustive list of everything that has been replaced can be found in our previous coverage of the car. It's also lightly modified, to make driving it a little more enjoyable. Kilmer plans to replace the current engine soon, but he's likely going to keep the original, just because it was such a trooper.
We've covered other cars in the past that have reached the million-mile mark as well. All were built by Japanese or American manufacturers. They include a 2008 Toyota Tacoma, a 2013 Ford Super Duty pickup, a 2007 Nissan Frontier, and a Durmax-powered 2007 Chevrolet Silverado 3500.
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