TulsaWorld brings us the story of a man and his truck – a 1995 Chevrolet Silverado to be exact – and their journey towards half a million miles of dependability:
“Rod Johnson loves his truck.
With good reason.
Johnson, 59, has put more than 474,000 miles on his 1995 Silverado pickup and it shows no signs of slowing down.
“I’m amazed at how long it’s gone,” said Johnson as he reflected on the indestructible truck that has taken him to about 40 states and has been well worth $28,000.
That was the approximate sticker price of the truck when he bought it new. He said he didn’t set out to drive it almost half-a-million miles. It just turned out that way.
Johnson said it took him only about three or four years to pay it off. It didn’t take him long to crease 100,000 miles because of his travels in connection with radio-controlled airplane events he has attended throughout the nation.
“Then it became 200,000, and then 300,000,” Johnson recalled. Before long, people started noticing.
“So many of my friends have told me they’ve never seen one with this many miles,” he said.
Some of this longevity is the product of luck. Johnson said he has never had an accident in the truck during his travels throughout the U.S.
Even more remarkable is that, according to Johnson, the truck has never required major repairs. He said beyond $200 for a new radiator, it’s been smooth sailing.
How can your vehicle follow along this path to automotive immortality?
AAA Oklahoma spokesman Danial Karnes said routine maintenance is the key when it comes to keeping vehicles running and on the road longer.
Karnes said if you find someone that has an older car with a lot of miles, you will find most likely they have performed – or had performed – basic steps like keeping filters, hoses, and belts maintained and changing the oil every 3,000 miles.
However, Johnson said he routinely more than doubles that oil-changing benchmark. He said he waits for each 7,000 miles to roll by and then makes sure to use Prolong additive, which he said helps prevent “dry start-ups.”
Karnes said one thing many people overlook is tire rotation. He said failing to get tires rotated “is a big mistake safety wise.” He said rotating them regularly can add as much as 10,000 miles to the life of a set of tires.
Johnson said his pickup is on its seventh set of tires in its busy life but has the same starter and the same transmission.
The venerable truck isn’t being babied in its old age, either. Johnson said it often spends its days hauling a trailer filled with granite.
Keeping vehicles a long time has become something of a family tradition. He said his wife, Janet Johnson, drives a 21-year-old Lincoln Mark VII, although he said it has far fewer miles accumulated.
Nothing lasts forever, though, and Johnson said he is planning on buying a new vehicle soon.
He said that even with its high mileage, his ’95 Silverado still might fetch as much as $3,000.
He has no plans to sell it, however. Instead, Johnson said it will keep hauling granite until it expires.
If it ever does.
“It’s showing no signs of giving up,” he said.”
If you look hard enough, you can find a few similar stories here and there about trucks of other brands. But anyone who knows trucks will tell you that this isn’t uncommon at all for the Silverado. How long will YOUR new Chevy Silverado last?
Chevrolet