The reliability of automobiles has changed dramatically in the last 30 years. Engines are more advanced and designed to run much longer than before. Fluids are also much more advanced as well. Car owners can expect to get a lot more miles out of a vehicle than they used to. There are even cars that refused to die with an insane amount of miles on them.
Of course, that bodes well for the used car market as well. It used to be that when your odometer reached 100,000 miles, you were sweating. But that isn’t the case anymore. We chronicled 20 cars that refused to die and somehow managed to rack up a million miles here.
20: 1964 Porsche 356C
When it comes to interesting cars that have reached the million-mile mark, the Porsche 356C is a prime example. “Now of course a 52-year-old Porsche doesn’t get to 1,000,000 miles without some special attention. Not only has Newmark never missed a 3,000-mile service, but he’s also had the engine rebuilt three times, according to previous coverage. And that kind of dedication only comes from someone who loves their car very much. In the video, Newmark waxes about how it drives and how it looks. He also says he takes a look back at it every time he parks, even after all these years.” – via Autoblog
Naturally, this prime example of a classic Porsche just goes to show you what regular maintenance will do. It also goes to show that the mileage of a car doesn’t necessarily translate to reliability. Cars that are stored for years on end start to break down internally. Even if a car has been preserved, it hasn’t.