The million-mile club is an exclusive one for passenger cars, and that's only part of what makes the accomplishment so special. A Chicagoland delivery man named Brian Murphy is the latest to surpass the seven-digit mile marker, and he's done it in a 2007 Nissan Frontier pickup. The spec? A perfectly simple four-cylinder with two-wheel-drive and a five-speed manual transmission.
Murphy bought the Frontier new in 2007 and has logged over 50,000 hours behind the wheel. That equals 12-14 hours and 300-400 miles each working day—quite the feat for the 62-year-old who has plans to keep on truckin' despite his, um, lengthy tenure in the industry.
"I had no doubt this truck would hit a million miles. It's tough and gets great fuel economy, exactly what I need to get the job done," explains Murphy. "I change my own oil every 10,000 miles and drive carefully. Nothing major has been replaced on this truck, it's really something."
To that point, the factory clutch lasted an astonishing 801,000 miles before being replaced. The 2.5-liter's original timing chain was traded for a new one at 700,000 miles and, apparently, the radiator and alternator lasted about 450,000 miles between services. All routine maintenance has been taken care of at M'Lady Nissan in Crystal Lake, where Murphy originally bought the truck.
For reference, one million miles is roughly the same distance as two roundtrips to the moon. Better yet, they were all traveled by Murphy without the use of GPS or satellite navigation.
The well-traveled Frontier will be on display at this week's Chicago Auto Show, where we also expect to hear news regarding Nissan's midsize truck for the 2020 model year.
Got a tip? Send us a note: [email protected]
