The case of this Toyota Corolla owned by a man in New Zealand is one of a kind. This 1993 Toyota Corolla, has hit the milestone of two million (20 lac) kilometers. The more surprising thing is that the car is still running smoothly like butter.
The news was covered by the New Zealand Herald, according to which, it was March when the 72-year-old owner Graeme Hebley noticed the milestone mark on the clock. He believes that his Corolla will run “forever.” Mr. Hebley has been a newspaper delivery contractor since the 1960s, according to the Herald. The car was bought by him in the year 2000 when it had only traveled for 80,000 kilometers.
Mr. Hebley has a fixed routine of driving his car from Wellington to New Plymouth and back, six days a week. Keeping this in mind, the car travels 5,000 kilometers per week, including a service every two weeks. The average Toyota Corolla has a lifespan of around 200,000-300,000 km, so a Corolla from 1993 that has been driven for 2 million km is an exceptional case. It is possible that the car has been well-maintained and taken care of, which may have extended its lifespan,
According to the New Zealand Herald, the Corolla has been taken for service twice a month to Guthrie’s Auto Care in Whanganui for the past 22 years. Surprisingly, the car still has its original engine and transmission.
The reason for taking the car there was given by Mr. Hebley to the Herald,
“It broke down one morning in one of my vans. I rang John Sherman from Guthrie’s, and he came out and helped me. I have been getting all of my servicing done here since,”.
“It was used to deliver chippies in Tokyo before I got it,” he further said.
The cambelt, which has been replaced 20 times, and wheel bearings are the only significant changes in the car’s twenty-year long journey. Aside from these components, the vehicle is original, as per the news outlet.
What do you think of this interesting news? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
Corolla’s average lifespan is way more than 200,000 to 300,000 kilometers author, we had a 10th generation Xli and even at 115,000 kilometers none of its components, other than spark plugs or filters were changed.
Moreover, please note that there are several specimens from the 70s and 80s running around Pakistan, surely some of them must have crossed that mark. In fact, the Indus Corolla or the 7th generation Corolla is still visibly popular, and its assembling was ended in 2003. I guess a good number of them must have achieved the feat already.