Californian drove his Volkswagen Beetle 1.6 million miles but there’s a really big catch
- Albert Klein clocked 1.6 million miles on his VW Beetle
- Over the decades, many replacements have been done
- Klein was dedicated to keeping his car in top shape
Published on Jul 27, 2024 at 4:54 PM (UTC+4)
by Daksh Chaudhary
Last updated on Aug 12, 2024 at 7:34 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
How much do you love your car? No matter how much, it won’t compare to Albert Klein’s devotion to his 1963 Volkswagen Beetle.
Klein reached the milestone of 1.6 million miles with his car, but it wasn’t without challenges.
Driving such an old car for so long is a task in itself, and doing that in a VW Beetle – well – you get the point.
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Albert Klein and his Volkswagen Beetle
It would be wrong to say that the car was stubborn enough to drive for so long with minimal maintenance.
In fact, Albert Klein had to replace more parts on his car than any other vehicle with a million miles on the odometer.
Over the decades, Klein replaced seven engines, three transmissions, and 150 tires to reach the 1.6 million mile mark.
Let’s just say he was stubborn enough to this Volkswagen Beetle running for years.
The money spent on the replacements was quite a hefty amount.
Albert Klein invested over $38,000 in repairs and replacements on his beloved Beetle, including countless maintenance expenses.
However, despite the high cost, Klein was dedicated to keeping his car in shape.
“If you have a good friend, you can rely on them 100%,” Klein said.
“It’s the same with this car,” he further added.
A car that’s more than just a car
His story is similar to that of another car enthusiast from Los Angeles who drove his Porsche 356 for over 50 years, achieving 1 million miles.
What makes Albert’s achievement even more memorable is his meticulous record-keeping.
For 24 years, he has logged every detail about the Beetle’s maintenance, including each gallon of gas, which was around 35,600 gallons over the years.
From north to south and central America, his car has seen places.
Ultimately, he wanted to break the mileage record with his Volkswagen Beetle and donate it to the Volkswagen Museum in Germany.
It’s proof that sometimes cars don’t just remain tools for transportation but become like family members when it comes to enthusiasts.
