For sale: 1964 Mercury, one lady owner, 576,000 miles

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A 93-year-old Florida grandmother has parked her car for good after driving 576,000 miles (927,000km) over 48 years at the wheel of one trusty vehicle.

Rachel Veitch bought her Mercury Comet Caliente for $3,289 in February 1964. It has outlasted three marriages and 18 battery changes, she says.

On 9 March she had to give up driving as she has become legally blind.

Mrs Veitch plans to sell the car instead of giving it to her family amid concerns they might not look after it.

"They're not going to get it. They couldn't take care of it like I did," Mrs Veitch told Fox News. She has four children, nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

Mrs Veitch said the care and attention she paid to her car was one of the main reasons it had lasted so long.

In 2009 she told Fox News: "When I buy gas, I write down the mileage, the date and how many miles per gallon I got. I've never been a destructive person and I've just taken care of everything, except my husbands."
Leno sale?

The car is said to be worth about $12,000 (£7,500) today and has been through three sets of shock absorbers and eight exhaust mufflers as well as surviving a rear-end collision in 1980.

It is due to appear in an antique car show in the state of Wisconsin in July, though Mrs Veitch says she is not sure what will happen to it after that.

Mrs Veitch has said she would consider selling the car to Jay Leno, a classic car enthusiast and host of the US late night chat show The Tonight Show.

"I haven't talked to Jay Leno yet, but I'm wondering if he's interested. But I don't think I should start talking about it now," Mrs Veitch told Fox News when news of her decision to stop driving emerged.

The former nurse has said, however, that she is adjusting well to life without her chariot.

"I know I'm not safe enough to drive, but I have taken it in stride," she said.

While Mrs Veitch has clocked more miles than a trip to the moon and back, her car does not hold the record for the most miles travelled.

Irv Gordon entered the Guinness Book of World Records in 1998 with 1.69 million miles on his 1966 Volvo P1800. It is reported that he has now accumulated close to three million miles on the same car.

[Rennsurfer]

Not surprised at the mileage on this car. Fords & Volvos (r.w.d. ones) are known for attaining anywhere from 500,000 to 1,000,000 miles on their engines before a rebuild is required. I'm in Ford and Volvo clubs... the members all say, "Mark, your cars are still in the break-in period." 2000 Ford has 156,000 miles and my 1987 Volvo 5sp. estate has 200,0000 miles.

Further proof; most states in the U.S. use ex-police cars (1998-2012 Crown Victoria) for livery and taxi service after the law enforcement agencies retire them at around the 100,000 mile mark. Those cars go on to anywhere up to a million miles on their original engines. Quite common, actually. 

[Fiatdude]

My 2000 Civic has almost 200,000 miles on it and my 2010 Camry is about to break 100,000 miles

[Rick Meredith]

I was within an oil change of 300,000 miles on my '89 Thunderbird SC when I sold it.

[DWL_Puavo]

I've got a -83 200d merc with 780k km, now retired for few years only because of heater thermostat wire broke and left on full heat. Finnish museum approval is due on two years (30 years limit), just have to iron out few imperfections on the bodywork and that's it But even a bog standard 1200 beetle is a racer compared to the sweet 60hp of bad smelling Mercedes diesel power.