N.Y. Man's Vehicle a world record-holder since 2002

Irv Gordon poses for a picture in his Volvo P1800 in Babylon, N.Y. ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge

BAY SHORE, N.Y. — It just keeps going, and going, and going. No, it's not a battery. It's Irvin Gordon's 1966 Volvo P1800S.

Mr. Gordon's small red two-door has well more than 2 million miles on the odometer, the equivalent of nearly 119 times across the globe.

The retired schoolteacher from Long Island hopes to reach the 3 million-mile mark by next year. He has only 34,000 miles to go.

The 72-year-old Mr. Gordon drives his Volvo everywhere. He has held the Guinness World Records mark for high-mileage vehicle since 2002 and was the first person to hold that record.

"It's just a car I enjoy driving," he said.

He bought his car June 30, 1966, when he was 25, for $4,150. "It was a whole year's salary," he said.

Mr. Gordon originally wanted air conditioning on the convertible Volvo, but it was too expensive. He paid extra to have an AM/FM radio, though.

"It was $10 extra, and at that time, $10 was a lot. But an AM/FM radio was a big deal," he said.

Mr. Gordon's car has just enough room for him and his essentials. His front bumper is filled with pins of his mileage achievements. His license plate says "MILNMILER." And his trunk overflows with the many car parts he thinks he might need when on the road.

"I have a set of everything," he said. "If I have it, then I am not going to need it."

Mr. Gordon has been taking road trips since he was a young and continued through his adult years.

Irv Gordon's Volvo P1800 in Babylon, N.Y. ASSOCIATED PRESS Enlarge

He said he would just tell his family to pack their things and hit the road. Mr. Gordon's two daughters went on his road trips until they outgrew the tiny red car.

"They just couldn't fit in the back anymore. That is when I bought the station wagon," he explained. "Volvo, of course."

His odometer doesn't have enough digits to display the actual mileage, but Mr. Gordon has tune-up records verifying it.

Now divorced, Mr. Gordon takes road trips alone. With trips to Canada, Texas, and Michigan in just the last month, the last leg of his trip should not be too hard. It took him 21 years to reach the first million miles and 15 more years to reach 2 million. Mr. Gordon averages 85,000 to 100,000 miles a year. Most of his trips are for auto shows, but he also takes trips across the country just for a good cup of coffee.

"I have had coffee in every state," Mr. Gordon said. "I am my own travel channel."

The avid driver believes in taking care of his car, and he doesn't let anyone else drive it. "That's why I bought my girls their own cars," he said.

Jordan Weine is a mechanic at Bay Diagnostic, an auto shop based in Brooklyn and a Volvo expert. He said that because Mr. Gordon takes care of his car, he is able to get high mileage without much change to the car's original mechanics. It still has the original engine, although it was rebuilt twice in the car's lifetime.

"How high does a redwood grow? If it is not messed with, it will grow," said Mr. Weine, who hasn't worked on Mr. Gordon's car. "And there are very few redwood trees and the same goes with this. There are very few people that can achieve 3 million miles."

It is clear Mr. Gordon loves his car and he can't imagine getting rid of it.

"Why would I want to get rid of it?" he asked. "Kind of like a good woman."