Talk about going the distance.
A Maine man’s 1990 Honda Accord has topped 1 million miles – a first for the Japanese carmaker’s famous model, according to the Portland Press Herald. Honda honored owner Joe LoCicero, 53, from the town of Norway, with a surprise party in Saco Oct. 23 and gave him a new 2012 Accord.
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LoCicero, now known as “Million Mile Joe” thanks to an advertising campaign around the feat, paraded his trusty set of wheels down the town’s Main St. alongside a marching band and varsity cheerleaders. The odometer on the car, named “True Blue” due to its faded blue exterior, went into seven digits the previous Thursday, Oct. 20.
“If you listen carefully, she’s getting old,” LoCicero said. “But it’s been an amazing ride.”
The 1990 model rolled off the assembly line in Marysville, Ohio. LoCicero, a master auto technician, bought the vehicle in 1996 with 74,000 miles on it, to travel throughout the northeast inspecting vehicles for warranty claims and lease terms.
A local auto group learned of its impending milestone in August 2010, when the car had clocked 938,000 miles. They informed Honda’s ad agency, which set up a website, millionmilejoe.com, to document the coming record. The landmark is the equivalent of driving around Earth 40 times.
As for the fate of “True Blue” now that LoCicero has a new 2012 Accord, the diligent owner said he has tried to sell it to car dealers but had no takers.
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Joe Jackson is a contributor at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @joejackson. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME.