The universe works in mysterious methods.

In late June, I wanted to choose up a automobile from the physique store, so I referred to as an Uber from my home. As an Acura fanatic (or extra so, a fanatic) I used to be happy to see that my trip was going to be in a TSX. The automotive arrived and appeared nice. “What number of miles are on it?” I requested as we obtained the journey underway. The driving force, Randy, paused. I believed he would possibly say it had 100,000 or so, however the automotive had 495,980 miles on the odometer. When the trip completed, I exchanged contact data with Randy so he might keep in contact when he obtained nearer to the big-five.

He adopted up with me solely a few weeks later through textual content message and stated, “Seems like tomorrow is the day.” We met up at a midpoint (I drove my 585,000-mile Legend, after all) to expertise the milestone collectively.

The Rollover

Being mid-July in Arizona, by 10:30 a.m. the temperature had already soared to triple-digit vary so we stored our time within the parking zone to a minimal. Randy had 13 miles left to go, so I hopped into the passenger seat and we determined to drive about six miles up the freeway after which loop again.

Our calculations paid off, as the five hundred,000-mile mark got here at virtually precisely the placement the place we initially began – secure contained in the parking zone at Tempe Market so we didn’t should be pulled over on the aspect of a busy highway taking movies and photographs. I shook Randy’s hand and welcomed him (and his trusty TSX) to the half-million-mile membership.

Randy’s Mileage Accumulation

The staggering factor to me isn’t essentially Randy’s mileage achievement, as a result of there have been loads of automobiles reaching the five hundred,000-mile mark and past. I’m significantly intrigued by the pace at which Randy accrued these miles.

To additional illustrate this, I pulled a CARFAX report based mostly on his automotive’s automobile identification quantity (VIN). His automotive was bought new in Might 2010 with 10 miles on the odometer. Randy took possession in January 2017 at 44,993 miles. Inside two years, he hit 150,000 miles. The newest odometer studying on the report was an emissions verify in March 2022 at 391,073 miles. And now 16 months later, he hit 500,000.

Working the mathematics on that knowledge: Randy has put 455,007 miles on his automotive in just a bit over six years of possession. That comes out to 75,834 miles per 12 months. Divide that by twelve months per 12 months, and his automotive has been pushed on common 207 miles each single day day for the final six years. Wow. Uber over-achiever extraordinaire.

Nuts and Bolts

What’s the backstory on this seemingly-immortal automotive, anyway? The TSX mannequin was launched in 2004 because the gateway sedan to the Acura Division of American Honda. Technically, it was launched in mid-2003 which is why we just lately celebrated a 20-year anniversary. The primary-generation mannequin was bought as an Accord in Europe.

Randy’s TSX comes from the second technology of the mannequin which launched in 2009 however carried over comparable engineering. It’s powered by Honda’s widespread (and clearly sturdy) 2.4-liter i-VTEC inline-four powerplant which was rated at 201 horsepower and 170 lb-ft of torque when new. The engine could possibly be paired with both a five-speed computerized transmission (as in Randy’s case) or a six-speed guide.

Randy’s automotive is an computerized, and he says that the one main unscheduled substitute throughout all these miles has been an alternator. The remainder has merely consisted of routine fluids, tires, and brakes.

To the Moon (Twice)

The conclusion of our celebration consisted of inserting a “LOW MILEAGE” sticker on Randy’s windshield to make issues official. We joked about the truth that Randy’s automotive has pushed to the moon and again, and now he’s on his manner there once more. “I feel I left one thing there, so I’ve to return,” he mused.

Thanks, Randy, for sharing your expertise with me. I want you a lot extra completely happy and secure miles.

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