Man passes the 1,000,000 mile mark in his 1988 Volvo

Charlene Sakoda

When Vic Dres bought his Volvo GLE in 1988 he was determined to drive the car one million miles and even got a personalized license plate that read “GL1000K” to declare his goal. The Grover Beach, California man told KSBY News, that there were many doubters. He told the station, "I don't think they, they believed me at all. But since I've been working in Goleta for 17 years, then they said, ‘Oh you know what, your car’s going to go on.’"

Vic’s round trip work commute of over 160 miles allowed him to rack up 800,000 miles towards his goal. Each time Mr. Dres passed 100,000 more miles Volvo awarded him a medallion, all of which he proudly displays on his car. "I'll look in my rear view mirror and you know, they're counting, ‘What? What are those?’ And suddenly they'll say, ‘Oh my gosh, you know he's got 900 thousand miles in this car,’" said Dres.

When the California resident took a job just 6 miles from home, his march towards the million-mile target slowed. Dres chipped away at the remaining 200,000 miles from 2005 until just a few days ago when the magic moment came while on a drive to the Four Corners.

The Swedish vehicle still has its original engine and original gasket, and the owner claims there are no secrets to its longevity. Dres laughed, "Like five thousand miles you need a quart of oil, that's about it, it does not burn." He said that he just sticks with the standard maintenance that Volvo recommends like regular oil and fluid changes, and upkeep on belts and hoses.

Volvo will certify Mr. Dres’ milestone and honor him with a one million mile club medallion later this week. “I have a zero, zero, zero, eight hundred ninety eight right now. So, as of now, I have a new car. I mean a used one and then become a new one,” said Dres as he headed off to hit the two million mile mark.

While Vic Dres’ achievement is quite impressive, one million miles is not the world’s highest vehicle mileage. In 2013, Guinness World Record holder Irv Gordon passed the three million mile mark in his 1966 Volvo P1800.

Video and more info: KSBY