The Million Mile Honda Accord

Honda is calling him "Million Mile Joe." And even though we know calling attention to his achievement is a huge plug for Honda, AOL Autos is always happy to spotlight those careful, conscientious souls who stiff to put at least a million miles on a vehicle that most people would trade in after 150,000 at the most.

Joe LoCicero, from the cold climes of Norway, Maine, a place where summer pretty much happens on a Wednesday in July before turning to Autumn, is approaching one million miles this month on his 1990 Honda Accord.

How did he do it? What kind of oil does he use? How anal retentive is he about keeping maintenance records for his light blue Accord? How lucky is he? The Federal Reserve seems to be telling us that the economic malaise gripping the U.S. could take several more years to put behind us. That means Americans are going to have to put more money aside to make up for lack of growth in investments and housing values. Check out the gallery, and learn how you could save money over the next 21 years by driving the same vehicle

LoCicero only ever used Honda parts such as air, oil and fuel filters. There are other brands that are cheaper, but the fact is that automakers optimize the parts they make and sell for their vehicles and their engines. Amazingly, he bought the car used in 1996, with about 34,000 miles on it, so this car has not been in his doting hands for its entire life.

LoCicero is a careful, fastidious driver. In 15 years he has only gotten one speeding ticket. He also babies his use of the brakes. Living in rural Maine means there isn't a lot of stop-and-go traffic, of course. He drives an average of 62,500 miles per year visiting car dealerships across Maine.

So how much of this one million mile feat is Joe and how much is Honda? At AOL Autos, we believe such feats are a collaboration between owner and car. There are clearly lemons in the world. And Germans have often talked about "Monday Cars," the cars that are built on Monday morning after workers have had beer-laden weekends. But no matter where a car or brand may fall on, say, the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study ranking, we believe following Joe's example gives the owner of any car today a decent shot at hitting one million miles.

You can follow Joe's progress toward one million miles this month at Honda's Facebook page.

Some commenters have suggested that Honda should give Joe a new Accord when he passes one million miles. Why? The car seems just fine. What do you think?