My Favorite Ride: Check out this GMC Yukon with 252,000 miles, the "Eddie Haskell" model
I was surprised to find out that Bloomington resident Tim Lloyd owns a vehicle manufactured in this century.
That’s because most of his cars are older than he is, which is about my age. For instance, his current daily driver is a 1952 Hudson Hornet. Really. A 72-year-old car in excellent mechanical condition.
There was the time last summer Lloyd told his wife Marcia he was looking to buy yet another car. When she asked what model year it was, he said “a ’23.”
A new car? Nope, turned out to be a rare 1923 Hudson Speedster. Really. A 100-year-old car.
So, when Lloyd sent his contribution to my request for cars older than 20 still on the road and with more than 250,000 miles on the odometer, I expected to see a picture of a vintage Hudson.
Instead, he sent a picture of his 2002 GMC Yukon, a giant SUV used to transport the family dog and kids on his sons’ baseball teams. It also hits the road on snowy days when the roads are slick and covered with salt and other corrosives to melt the ice.
Lloyd noted in the accompanying email message that after reading my recent Subaru sagas that he appreciates my automotive "trials and tribulations."
“Like me you understand the value in having more than just one at your disposal at any given time," he wrote. And like me, "having something to drive that matches your outfit has always been a consideration of mine on a given morning.”
Lloyd pointed out there are “many” daily drivers out there with odometers that have reached 400,000, even 500,000 miles. “Semi trucks have of course done that for years,” he said. “I doubt that you will hear from many of these folks because let’s face it, they are probably out driving them.”
He’s right. I haven’t heard from one semi driver in my search for old, high-mileage vehicles, maybe because they don’t stay on the road 20 years.
I did receive a picture of a 2005 Volvo station wagon in Bloomington with a 377,187-mile odometer reading. It’s one year shy of qualifying for the challenge but may get written about anyway when it hits 400,000.
The owner of that Volvo also has a red 1991 Toyota truck that had logged 209,048 miles when the odometer broke a decade ago. Surely it’s traveled at least 40,952 miles in the past 10 years. I’ll be tracking it down.
Lloyd said cars are made better now than they were 50 years ago. “Some are better than others, but I don’t believe anyone makes a bad car anymore.”
He cited the Chevy Citation, manufactured from 1980 to 1985, as an exception. “Most Chevy Citations were off the road 10 years after they were made.”
I expect to hear from someone still driving a 40-year-old Chevy Citation.
If you don’t know who Eddie Haskell was, and if you don’t get these 1950s references, look up Eddie Haskell on the internet.
Here’s Lloyd’s description of his 22-year-old SUV. “I have a 2002 GMC Yukon XL with over 250,000 miles on it. Runs and drives perfect. It uses a little oil, and yes, the AC blows ice cold. Most importantly, it is the coveted Eddie Haskell edition.”
You may know of the two-tone green/beige Ford Explorer “Eddie Bauer” model, which featured a cosmetic trim package and other options reserved for the high-end Explorer XLT model.
“We decided that our Yukon was better named after the ‘Leave it to Beaver’ character,” Lloyd said. “The driver does seem to have a certain attitude. ‘My how lovely you look today, Mrs. Cleaver.’”
Stay tuned for next week’s high-mileage, 2003 or later car/truck story. I’ve been hearing from people, and they are emailing me pictures of their odometers and the stories behind the vehicles. How many miles are on your old car?
Have a story to tell about a car or truck? Contact My Favorite Ride reporter Laura Lane at llane@heradt.com or 812-318-5967.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: My Favorite Ride: 2002 GMC Yukon with 252,000 miles hauls kids, dog
