Man who’s owned the same Toyota Corolla for 47 years has driven the equivalent of 14 times around the Earth in it
- A Japanese man has truly made the most of his 1969 Corolla
- He’s driven it 347,968 miles over 47 years
- Incredibly, it’s still going strong and has never had any serious maintenance issues
Published on Jul 15, 2024 at 8:29 PM (UTC+4)
by Andie Reeves
Last updated on Jul 16, 2024 at 7:06 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
As the best-selling car of all time, the Toyota Corolla is known for its dependability.
One man pushed the sturdy vehicle to the max over the course of nearly 50 years.
He’s driven it continuously for 347,968 miles and it’s still going strong.
This means he’s driven his first generation Corolla the equivalent of 14 times around the Earth.
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A man and his Toyota Corolla
Shougo Asada bought his Corolla when he was 24, back in 1969.
Now in his seventies, he still uses the blue Toyota as his daily driver, and it shows no signs of slowing down.
Toyota is clearly a maker that inspires deep brand loyalty – just look at how carefully one man maintained his Land Cruiser over 16 years.
Rather than keep his precious car parked in a garage, Asada uses it every day.
His most notable road trip was to the town of Miyazaki, 745 miles away.
The car was also once used in a TV show, playing the role of ‘getaway car’.
Asada regularly drives it to shows and exhibitions so that more people may enjoy his prized possession.
How to keep a car running for nearly 50 years
The Toyota Corolla is getting ready to celebrate half a century of service.
Having sold over 50 million models, it’s officially the best selling car in the world.
While Toyota is known for its incredible combustion engines, it also took careful maintenance for Asada to reach his amazing milestone.
He has recorded every piece of maintenance that has ever been performed on his car.
These records are kept in three scrapbooks, each of which is four inches thick.
He also cleans it almost every day, so much so that he washed the green paint off the number plate.
The car has never had any special maintenance or upkeep, besides changing the oil every 3,000 km.
In fact, when it reached the 400,000 kilometer (248,548 mile) mark, its engine had never even had an overhaul.
He’s now got 347,968 miles on the clock, which is the same as driving around Earth 14 times.
“The Corolla is a really sturdily built car,” Asada says.
“My mantra was ‘don’t let it get loose, don’t let it run out, and don’t let it leak,’ referring to the bolts, oil, and coolant respectively.”
We could all learn something from that.
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Andie is a content writer from South Africa with a background in broadcasting and journalism. Starting her career in the glossy pages of Cosmopolitan and Marie Claire, Andie has a broad portfolio, covering everything from sustainability solutions to celebrity car collections. When not at her laptop Andie can be found sewing, recording her podcast, taking board games too seriously or road-tripping in her bright green Kia.
