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Oldest Accord ever still running strong - UPDATE

Posted Jul 3rd 2006 12:04PM by John Neff
Filed under: Time Warp, Economy, Etc., Hatchbacks, Honda



MotorTrend.com discovered Ben Johnson who traded his Pontiac GTO for a Honda Accord back in 1977 and never looked back. The Goat had been eating a hole in Johnson's pocket because of the era's high gas prices, so he picked up one of them new fuel-efficient 1976 Honda Accords, which was the first model year for what has become one of the best selling vehicles of all time.

The amazing part is that Johnson is still driving his Accord after 30 years and almost 300,000 miles. Of the 13 million Accords sold over the years, Johnson believes his to be the oldest one still in operation. His VIN number proves it's older than the one Honda itself has housed in its Tokyo museum. He's also learned that only models built near the end of the first model year were exported to markets other than the U.S., so it's unlikely there exists an older example outside of this country.

Being a car nut, Johnson has modified the Accord a bit with an aftermarket stereo, high-performance shocks and tires and a custom carburetor system. He'd also consider selling the vehicle, but only to a museum or similar organization that would display it as part of an exhibit on how rising energy costs can change the nation's buying habits, just like they did back in 1976.

[Source: MotorTrend.com]

UPDATE - Johnson purchased his Accord in 1977, not 1967.

http://spyphotos.autoblog.com/2006/07/03/oldest-accord-ever-still-running-strong/

Wow. Thats cool. One of these days we have to start looking at getting interviews with people like that.

Less than 10,000 miles a year. That saves a lot in fuel too ;)

Should we setup a database to see who keeps their car the longest? :D

Seriously, I wonder what the most milage on a Honda is? I know that both Merceedes and Volvo have million-mile cars....

Keeping a single car for the long-haul is probably about as significant an environmental decision as saving fuel. They take lots and lots of energy to produce, and that energy probably came from fossil fuels for the most part. Just think about what it takes to go from raw ore or scrap metal to a functioning vehicle! Not only that, but you have to consider the plastics and hydrocarbons used for the interior, paint, etc. and what was emitted by the production of those components. Finally, making a vehicle last means maintaining it well, and in turn that will help it run at its best and get the most miles/cleanest emissions possible.

The only hard part is deciding how old is really too old, and where outdated emissions standards outweigh the environmental cost of buying something else that will run much cleaner. For example, I have an old Volvo (1985) that I really want to put back on the road as my "truck." It would take a fair bit of money to take care of its problems, but I also worry about the fact that it may well bleed hydrocarbons while parked on a warm day faster than my 2002 ULEV Honda does while running cold. That's the quandary brought to us by 18 years of engineering and environmental regulation.