Man has driven so many miles in his 1985 Toyota Tercel each mile breaks down to just $0.003

The 1985 Toyota Tercel might not turn heads in traffic, but this particular model belonging to a man from Nova Scotia, Canada, is no ordinary commuter car.

From the outside, it looks like a dated economy car from a bygone era: boxy, simple, and firmly rooted in the cassette-tape generation.

But look closer and you’ll discover a vehicle that has accomplished something most modern cars can only dream of.

Campbell’s trusty Tercel has logged more than one million kilometers (621,371 miles), and every single mile has been done on a budget that would make even the thriftiest drivers jealous.

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The 1985 Toyota Tercel is still his daily driver

Nova Scotia man Andy Campbell bought the 1985 Toyota Tercel in Halifax around 1990 for just C$2,500 (about $2,140 at the time), and he’s been driving it ever since.

The odometer technically ‘tops out’ at 253,000 kilometers (157,200 miles), but the numbers don’t tell the full story.

In fact, the meter is missing a crucial ‘1,’ since the car has now surpassed one million kilometers and counting.

Campbell jokes that he’s not sure he’ll live long enough to hit the next million, but his meticulous care and a stockpile of spare parts suggest the car could outlive most of us.

After all, a Mercedes 240 D with 2.85 million miles on the odometer exists, so it’s not entirely impossible.

That care has been the real secret to the Tercel’s longevity, although Toyota’s ability to make cars that can clock more than 2 million kilometers is certainly helpful.

Campbell handles nearly all the maintenance himself, from heater motors to radiator fans.

He’s replaced or repaired just about everything over the decades, with the possible exception of the body, which itself has had a fair amount of work done.

Aside from a professional front-end alignment here and there, Campbell has kept the Tercel running strong with his own two hands.

The car isn’t just a collector’s item either, as it’s still Campbell’s daily driver when he needs to head out in a snowstorm or make a trip across the Maritimes.

He’s even taken it as far as Newfoundland.

Ready with a backup Tercel

Just in case, though, he has a ‘backup car’: another Toyota Tercel, this one from 1986, which he affectionately calls his ‘new one.’

Despite the staggering mileage, Campbell insists he’s not a Toyota fanatic or even a ‘car guy.’

It’s this particular Tercel that has captured his loyalty.

And if you’re thinking of making him an offer, don’t bother.

He says the car is not, and never will be, for sale.

Breaking it down, Campbell’s original $2,500 purchase spread across more than a million kilometers means he’s spent just $0.003 per mile on the car itself.

In fact, given that Toyota previously gave a Louisiana man a special gift for putting a million miles on his Tundra, Campbell should probably pop by his local Toyota dealership, too.

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