Wisconsin man's '91 Silverado set to hit 1 million miles
Talk about finding a good used car. Frank Orsenick bought his '91 Silverado in 1996. At the time, it had 41,000 miles on the clock. After 11 years of service (and a lot of driving), the old pickup is about to reach a milestone. Frank had the oil changed last week, just as he has every 3,000 miles since acquiring the Chevy, and it's sure to be the last one it receives as an everyday-use vehicle. You see, it's just 1,200 miles away from spinning past the 1,000,000-mark on the odometer. When it hits the big number, Frank is going to put his faithful ride into retirement. As for how he got this far, Orsenik credits regular maintenance and "a little luck." We should all be so lucky.
When informed of Mr. Orsenik's impending milestone, Chvrolet General Manager Ed Peper said, "Most Dependable, Longest Lasting isn't just a slogan, and it applies not only to Chevy pickups but to the people who drive them. We get lots of mail from customers with hundreds of thousands of miles on their Chevy trucks - so much, in fact, we formed the Silverado 200,000 mile club in 2006 - but a million miles is certainly remarkable. We're glad to have Mr. Oresnik on the Chevy team."
Congrats to Mr. Orsenik. May your next truck be as dependable as this one.
UPDATE: Video of the truck after the jump!
[Source: AP via Forecast Earth]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 14)
Keith Griffin 11:10AM (2/01/2008)
Proving once again the value of regular oil changes. Congratulations Frank!
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vintage 9:22PM (2/01/2008)
It does NOT state that it has the original engine or transmission, so I wouldn't read to far into it. Any car can hit 1 million miles if you replace the broken parts often enough.
TheOne442 11:11AM (2/01/2008)
lets see in 1991 did they use the "like a rock" campaign? because that is what I'm thinkink right now.
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The Other Bob 12:36PM (2/01/2008)
I am not surprised. I used a 92 for a work truck. This truck was used in stop and go driving and delivering supplies to construction sites. It was abused. It rarely received proper maintanace, in fact we figured no one changed the oil for the first 18,000 miles of this truck's life. (not recommended)
We changed the brakes and it went through starter motors because of all the starts and stops. At 198,000 miles we changed the spark plugs for the first time and gave it a new muffler. The body always looked great and we sold the truck at 240,000 miles for over $5000. It is still going strong, being used by one of our contractors even after having a run in with a deer.
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Mr. Oak 11:14AM (2/01/2008)
The title should have read: "Stupid obsolete indestructable pushrod engines :) run forever!!"
Congratulations Frank!!
BTW: After he retires the Silverado, think he might buy a Tundra or a Ridgeline?
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MemphisNET 11:15AM (2/01/2008)
I'm sure regular maintenance and not driving the piss out of it had something to do with it.
Oh, and not leaving it in 4x4 (im assuming it is) like most do.
Not surprised. I got rid of my chevette at 585,000 miles because i jumped it, and wrecked the inner structure (17years old... im glad im not that stupid anymore - well, not as stupid)
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saabyurk 11:16AM (2/01/2008)
What is it with Wisconsin, it must be good for cars! Peter Gilbert of Wisconsin recently got a new Saab for free after driving his classic 900 for a million miles:
http://www.saabclub.com/press_release_03-02-07.html
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TriShield 11:16AM (2/01/2008)
My '92 LeSabre is close to turning over 300,000 miles, all original and no major work. Oil changed every 7,500 - 10,000 miles.
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tbss_in_the_D 11:19AM (2/01/2008)
I hear the New Toyota Tundra can do this without ever changing the oil, tires or breaks. You have to do no maintenance on it because it is the best truck ever. I wish GM and Ford could build trucks so nice.
LOL
Anyway good job and good maintenance. I would love to see this guys commute. That has to stink!
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MoonRover 11:21AM (2/01/2008)
That a Chevy! There ain't no better.
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PAT 11:25AM (2/01/2008)
Those early 90's Chevy trucks were indestructable, especially the engine. My family had two suburbans growing up and they were as reliable as it gets.
For the most part American trucks, GM more than the others, have very good reliabilty. Trucks see alot more wear and tear than your Camry ever will, and they usually always give you a good 200,000 miles, if maintenance is good.
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Nick 11:37AM (2/01/2008)
Likeee a Rockk....
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VP 11:37AM (2/01/2008)
Am i the only for whom the comment section is screwed up today? I can't read anybody's comments today!!
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Koko 11:38AM (2/01/2008)
Simply amazing. My first truck was an 89 Silverado. After 2 years my parents and myself (I was in HS and this truck was bought used) had repair receipts equal to what we paid. We chalked it up as a lemon and it was still my favorite vehicle to date. Probably b/c it was my first and cheapest!
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glitched 12:16PM (2/01/2008)
@saabyurk: (reply button not working)
Wisconsin is NOT good on cars, i know, i live here. It's just that everything is so far away! Kinda want to know where this guy is from...
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J. D. Billiford 12:25PM (2/01/2008)
>>> Reaching the one million mile mark on ANY vehicle is quite an achievement.
Congratulations, Frank!
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Fosterdad 12:36PM (2/01/2008)
Great job. Way to go! Chevy and whatever motor oil he uses should publicize the hell out of this. I'd bet anything he's used the same brand of motor oil since he bought the truck. Probably Valvoline or Pennzoil.
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Tyo 12:35PM (2/01/2008)
@ Memphis:
You must be really stupid.
Ive never heard of anyone driving a part time 4x4 vehicle around in 4 for extended periods of time as you claim "most" do. There are so many part time 4x4 blazers, jeeps, s10's, rangers, and then the obvious full sizes. I have a hard time believing "most" 4x4 owners, (i am one) drive the vehicles around in 4 all the time.
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J M C 3 12:38PM (2/01/2008)
That would've been the best superbowl commercial ever for Chevy Trucks.
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Ryan 12:08AM (2/07/2008)
I believe it. My Dad has an '89 Chevy Silverado 2500 longbed standard cab with a 350. It has at least 450,000 miles on the original engine that's never been apart and still running great. Granted, everything else bolted to the engine has been rebuilt or replaced several times though.
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