Proof That Vehicle Maintenance Provides Longevity to ANY Vehicle.

Well, here it is!  The proof I've been waiting for.  I really hate using the words, "I told you so", but, sometimes, even I have to make exceptions.  And, this morning, while going through my mail, I came across an article that I just had to share with you. 

(photo credit, Rachel Veitch)

You all know I preach about vehicle maintenance all the time.  I know I sometimes sound like a "mother hen" and I bet a lot of you feel sympathy for my kids because you know that owning a vehicle in my presence would be a constant nagging voice asking over and over again, "have you checked your oil recently" or the "by the way, when was the last time you had your brake pads changed"?  AND, you're probably right.  Having a mom and dad who fix cars for a living is a constant barage of maintenance goodies that is never ending.  But, all this "hype" about taking care of your vehicle does pay off!  Take Rachel Veitch, for example.  This 93-year old woman from Florida, just retired her 1964 Mercury Comet Caliente with 576,000 mile on it!  Yup, you read it right and there's no "typo" in that last sentence.  576,000 miles is a lot of miles!  And, she credits the incredible longevity of her car to, you guessed it, preventative maintenance.

According to Veitch, she purchased her car in 1964, for a total of $3,289 dollars.  And, now, 58 years later, she has retired her "chariot", as she put it.  You can read the full article, "93-year-old Florida Woman Retires Her ’64 Mercury after 576,000 Miles on the Road",  which was posted by "FoxNews.com", and written by Eric Pfeiffer.  Now, the only reason Veitch is retiring the vehicle is because she is now legally blind and she feels that it is time for her to stop driving. 

"I am legally blind, so I can no longer drive my lovely Chariot," Veitch told FoxNews.com. "They don't have to take it away, I would not dream of driving that car again." The car itself is fine, but Veitch has macular degeneration in both her eyes, making her legally blind. After running a red light in March, she decided to voluntarily give up the vehicle she's been driving since Lyndon Johnson occupied the White House.

"I have taken it in stride," she said. "I don't have cancer, I don't have Lou Gehrig's disease. I am lucky."

She ran a red light and the 93-year old, who obviously has all her faculties in tact, made the wise decision to hang up her car keys.  We all get old, it's a fact we all have to deal with, and Rachel, I commend you for your decision. 

But, getting back to my "I told you so" comment, "She credits the longevity to a "near-obsessive" approach to the car's maintenance. "I've never been a destructive person and I've just taken care of everything, except my husbands," she told FoxNews."  So, there it is, plain and simple and comming from the mouth of a woman who just appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" for racking up over a half a million miles on her car!  And, the 93-year old Veitch is now offering her car for sale to Jay Leno!  Kudos to you, Rachel, you are not only smart in my eyes for taking care of your car, but you are also a "financial wizard"!  There was no mention of how much Mr. Leno, a huge car afficianado, was willing to pay for the vehicle, but, my guess is, it's more than $3,289 dollars! 

So, here you have it, ladies and gentlemen.  Take care of your car and it will take care of you!  Not only did Rachel Veitch make sure she did her maintenance, but, she also kept record of it.  According to the article, "Even without the world record, Vietch is fond of noting that the car has outlasted three marriages. Mechanically, it's worn through three sets of shocks, 18 batteries and eight mufflers."  Now, that really is commendable!  How many times have I told you that keeping track of your vehicle's maintenace and service will get you top dollar when you go to sell it!  See, "I told you so.....AGAIN!" LOL

So, the moral of this story is....preventative maintenance is important.  Making sure the little things your car needs are taken care of insures that you will get much enjoyment our of your vehicle, and it will give you lot's more years of safe and enjoyable service!  It's just that simple.

Preventative maintenance is not that expensive.  And the money you spend on maintaining your vehicle is definitely less than the money you'd spend repairing major problems that could have been avoided.  So, listen to this "mother hen" and....get out there and change the oil, check your brakes, check the fluids, lube your car, check the tire inflation, and maybe even tune it up!  Ask Rachel Veitch when she gets back from depositing that check from Jay Leno, about what she thinks of preventative maintenance?  I bet she'll agree with me!

And now, to get you started....check out these great deals from Advance Auto Parts.  You'll find some great savings to get you started on all your preventative maintenanace needs.  They have great prices on all your auto parts and accessories.  You can also go to our ONLINE PARTS STORE, to look up all the parts you'll need.  You'll find more great savings and coupons there too!  Remember, April is National Car Care Month!  There's no better time than now to start getting your car ready for the Summer Season.

Happy Motoring (or maintenancing?) Ok, I know, that was really bad! LOL