# man drives same car for 82 years



## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

One for the Books ! Man Owned & Drove Same Car for 82 YEARS
Can you imagine having the same car for 82 years! 
"How Long Have You Owned a Car?"

Mr. Allen Swift ( Springfield , MA.) received this 1928 Rolls-Royce
Picadilly P1 Roadster from his father, brand new - as a graduation gift in 1928. 
He drove it up until his death last year…..at the age of 102 !!! 
He was the oldest living owner of a car that was purchased new. Just thought
you'd like to see it. 
It was donated to a Springfield museum after his death.

It has 1,070,000 miles on it, still runs like a Swiss watch, dead silent at
any speed and is in perfect cosmetic condition. (82 years) 
That's approximately 13,048 miles per year (1087 per month)...


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## JimF (May 20, 2009)

I gues the saying of buy quality and you only have to buy once applies here.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

*David*, that's one fine looking car. Now, that's what you need for these road trips that you keep making and you can just put your tool box in the rumble seat and Buddy can just ride in the passenger seat looking like a sho nuff big dawg. Both of you put your son glasses on and smoke a nice cigar while your at it and that will be what they call traveling in style.

Glad to have you back home, *David*, I'm sorry I haven't PM'd you yet I've had some problems the past week at the plant but I'll get to ya good buddy.


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

It would be interesting to know what this car is valued at today. That is definitely getting your moneys worth!
My toyota suv or my ford e150 will never see 82 years of life unless they are placed in a museum today. The only time my vehicles ae dead silent is when the engine is turned off and parked in the carport.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

I wonder if he had to Buckle Up? 

Nice looking car!!

That guy did pretty good!

Rolls Royce cars must be good for you!


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

That is friggin awesome. What a car.


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## dbhost (Jul 20, 2009)

How on earth could he find maintenance parts for such an old car, to have driven it so many miles over such a long period of time?

The longest I ever owned a car is 8 years. We bought a loaded 1996 Saturn SL2 new, and my ex took it when she left in '04…. I sure do miss that car…


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## Maveric777 (Dec 23, 2009)

How cool is this! Thanks for sharing David…


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## REK (Aug 30, 2009)

I am over 27 cars at 53 yrs old….And I think there's another 4 or 5 I don't remember.

How could anyone look at the same dashboard for 82 years???? Did they have radio's

in the cars back then?


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

dbhost said, "How on earth could he find maintenance parts for such an old car,".
Perhaps the point is that those old Rolls don't need parts.

I once heard a Rolls owner, on safari in Africa, hit a gully and broke an axle.
Rolls sent a mechanic with a replacement axle, and had him on his way the next day.

Upon his return home, when he asked what was the charge for the service call, Rolls told him he must be mistaken. It's impossible to break the axle in a Rolls-Royce.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

^huge lol, crank. I love that story.


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## stefang (Apr 9, 2009)

Thanks for this post David. An amazing car and engineering feat. It seems the owner got the most out of his car and the most out of his life. Having good genes and a rich father probably helped a lot.

I gave my 20 year old Volvo (now 23 years old) to my son 3 years ago. He has moved to Sweden and is still driving it daily. We joke that it went back home to die. Actually though it is still in great shape and easily passed the bi-annual Euro safety inspection before he left for Sweden just 2 weeks ago.

I think this story also somewhat relates to tools. If you buy really good ones, they will last a long time and give you better results. Personally, with just a couple of exceptions I never felt I could afford the best, but those exceptions have really made me think twice.

I hope the heat isn't getting you down there in NM.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Patron, we were just talking about NM yesterday. I only lived in Albuquerque for a year but I miss the pinion nuts on the side of the road. I also miss Hot Tamales, a little restaurant in Rio Rancho.


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## steviep (Feb 25, 2011)

I have a 1986 Suzuki Intruder I bought in 89 still riding today and a 1987 F-150 my wife is trying to get me to get rid of (still purrs like a kitten) I told her I would sell it, but as I try to put it on craigslist, I am finding I can't bear to part with it!


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## DrDirt (Feb 26, 2008)

But does it still have that new car smell
Or just grey coupon?


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

Now THAT's not going to stimulate the economy much ;-)


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I'm still driving my 1993 Toyota 4×4 truck that I bought NEW. And my NEWEST vehicle is my 1997 Harley FLSTC that I bought used in 1998 when it had 600 miles on it. I guess it all depends on if you do your own work/maintenance on a vehicle that you fall in love with it and keep it forever…........ Or in THIS guys case, you are very rich!


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

That is one beautiful car!
I would like to be 102 if I could wake up each day to take that for a spinn.
So nice to have you back,
Mads


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## 8iowa (Feb 7, 2008)

He must have been one heck of a mechanic.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Sorry to say, but just found this on Snopes.com:

http://message.snopes.com/showthread.php?t=64040
Listed as an urban legend


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## fernandoindia (May 5, 2010)

Nice post David.

I do still ride my first BSA motorcycle. 44 yrs now. still 38 more to go!!


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## Napoleon (Sep 16, 2010)

What an AWESOME car! great story David


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## GregInMaryland (Mar 11, 2010)

It is not totally improbable that someone would own a car that long.

My dad still owns his first and only motorcycle (1948 Indian Chief) he bought when he was 19, and his first new car (1957 Corvette) he bought when he was 29. That's 63 and 54 years.

The Indian is unrestored, but registered and driven (much to my dismay). The Corvette had a complete frame off restoration and is also registered and driven.

I can tell you that neither is "dead silent." They both rumble and grumble like they mean business, and they do.

Greg


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## mafe (Dec 10, 2009)

Fernado you rock!









Here is my 1963 Vespa.

Even I do not ride it due to my bad neck, but I think I have to put it in action just to pick up the newspaper.

Smiles,
Mads


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## Viktor (Jan 15, 2009)

I second to what HorisontalMike said

http://www.automotiverestorations.com/case-16-rr-picadilly.html

The car in question had 170,000 miles on it, not a million.
It was completely rebuilt, body removed from the frame, engine sent for reconditioning.
Remarkable anyway.
Sorry to be a party pooper :-(


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

Dang internet. I liked it when you had to dig for facts


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## cathyb (Jul 8, 2009)

That's a CAR worth driving! Nice….....


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## Dragonsrite (Feb 5, 2009)

I read the thread the was posted to Snopes…. it is NOT listed as an urban legend. There is apparently evidence to indicate that it is , in fact, true.


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## Bertha (Jan 10, 2011)

^as above, :
http://www.automotiverestorations.com/case-16-rr-picadilly.html


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

I don't see that it makes that much difference. It's still a remarkable story. I sure would like to just sit in it behind the wheel for even 5 minutes. From the looks of his house he must have been a wealthy man and I'm sure the car received excellent care.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

Well I am glad that Viktor and Al found actual confirmation that counters the Snopes "Urban Legends/Fauxtography" listing.

BTW, I do have a 1997 Firebird with just short of a quarter million miles on it. The girlfriend drives it daily to work.


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## ellen35 (Jan 1, 2009)

Quick David, find out what they did with that car and go get it!


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

I owned 44 cars since 1962, and in hindsight I wish I would have kept the VIN #'s of all of them.
It would have been great to find out how many survived.


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## jack1 (May 17, 2007)

got a 75 Jimmy with the GTO package (Garbage Truck Option) I use every week…


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## IrreverentJack (Aug 13, 2010)

Here's the story in the local paper. It has 170,000 on it. Very cool story. -Jack


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## Armand (Jun 6, 2010)

Nice post Patron. Now I would like to see the oldest but still in use table saw


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## JonathanG (Jan 18, 2010)

Whether this story is true, or not, I can't imagine the amount of maintenance would be required to actually drive that car more than a couple of times a year.


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## spunwood (Aug 20, 2010)

Great post. I've got a Ford Ranger with 360k and I don't think it will make it too many more years. But I also do anywhere from 1-3 hours driving each day.


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## grizzman (May 10, 2009)

hey david…to bad the last one you just had had to die on ya…maybe buy s car like that one…...make a woody out of it…i think im going to turn my 1980 chevy into a woody…in fact i just talked myself into it…give me a few months…youll see….......


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## Manitario (Jul 4, 2010)

well, only 170K vs. 1 million; I guess I'll have to go out and cancel my Rolls Royce order. My wife is going to be so mad…


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## lanwater (May 14, 2010)

Thanks David.
That a nice story and a great car.

Theydo not make them thatgood anymore.


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## DMIHOMECENTER (Mar 5, 2011)

Cool story, David.

I'll have to hang around until I'm 103 to beat him with my 1981 Rx-7. Hell, why not !? ;=)

Sign me almost halfway there…


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## hooky (Apr 25, 2009)

My rodeo ute is still alive and kicking after 620 000 kilometres and 21 years but i doubt i will get to many more years in it as it now has a major oil leak out the rear engine seal

Hooky


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## Roger Clark aka Rex (Dec 30, 2008)

Quite a while back when I was in England, I used to read the the motoring reviews featured in the Sunday newspapers.
One Sunday there was a review on a Phantom V (I think) and the reviewer had stunning reports of the driving experience, quality and attention to detail the RR offered. There was only one slight "off" remark made; "There was no wind noise at any speed, it was totally quiet except for the ticking of the clock"

Next Sunday when another car was being reviewed, as a footnote the reviewer said he was contacted by RR during the week, apologizing for his "disturbed" journey, and that RR will now fit "silent" clocks.

This is a true story.


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## Ansel10 (Dec 13, 2011)

I don't think I'm a bad driver….but I was in one fender bender, and it was before I even had a license.

I had my permit, and for God knows what reason, my papa forced me to drive, even though I didn't want to.

Anywayyyyyyyy I had this awkward slow-motion "holy ******************** i'magonna die" moment.

A truck in front of me had stopped with his blinker on, and I saw it at least two miles away.

That's when the slow motion began and I froze.

I couldn't take my foot off the gas, or put it on the brake, or blink, or move at all.

I remember Papa screaming to stop and then…....a girl in the truck I hit was taken to a hospital with a brace on her neck.

I didn't drive again until my driving test.

And I was the best damn driver in my class on test day. 

and yes i'm suffering with same wife from 23 years…


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## derosa (Aug 21, 2010)

The current mileage record holder is hitting 55 years next year and heading towards 3 million miles on the original engine, transmission and rear axle. Engine was rebuilt once and long before it was needed as the owner assumed the engine was going to break down like an American engine of the time. 
http://www.volvocars.com/intl/top/about/news-events/pages/default.aspx?itemid=192


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## tom427cid (Aug 21, 2011)

Saw the Rolls about 15 years ago in NH. Got to talk to the owner.Car looked as good in real life as in the pic.And yes the engine ran as quietly as stated. It is one sweet ride.
tom


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## BarbS (Mar 20, 2007)

That is Beautiful. Thank you so much for posting that, David. Oooh, la la!


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## CampD (Nov 8, 2008)

I've been to the museum and seen this car up close, its a beaut! nice write-up about the owner goes with it.
Springfield has opened a new branch of the museum just for items that were made in the city.
Rolls during that time had a factory along with a few other coach makes of the time.
It has an awesome collection of Indian Motorcycles showing their history.
The springfield riffle. IE: Custers last stand.
Colt started in springfield before moving to Hartford
Parker Brothers games.
Dr Seuss
It's worth the trip.


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## DS (Oct 10, 2011)

Back in 1985, I rode in a Taxi on the streets of Lisbon Portugal where the driver was in his 90's and the 1930's era Mercedes Benz had over 2 million miles on it.










The car and it's driver had been in service for nearly 50 years at the time. 
It was an amazing experience.


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