‘Let’s hear it for Betsy’: Here’s how this Ontario man’s van hit 1 million kilometres

Pat Foran has the story of a CTV News viewer who just set an impressive milestone with his van, putting more than one million kilometers on it.

Buying a new vehicle can be expensive, so often, drivers will do what they can to make their car last as long as it can.

One Ontario man says his van no longer owes him anything, after it has surpassed one million kilometres.

Marko Intihar, of Claremont, Ont. owns a 2000 Toyota Sienna. The vehicle has been with the family since it was new, and is now affectionally known as ‘Betsy.’

He recently filmed a video of the odometre as it turned to 999,999 kilometres, which is the most it can record.

“999,999. Woohoo. Let’s hear it for Betsy,” said Intihar.

For Intihar, he told CTV News that hitting the one million mark was a family goal.

“It’s unreal, it really is,” he said. “When you do the research of how many vehicles have gotten to one million kilometres that aren’t big semis (trucks) or whatever, it’s just astounding. It really is.”

When CTV News first met Intihar in 2022, his van had travelled 930,000 kilometres.

“I think she is just getting broke in,” he said at the time. “The transmission level looks good, we just had it flushed after its last 100,000 (kilometres).”

Intihar said his father believed in following the maintenance schedule closely, especially oil changes.

“It’s all about maintenance. Don’t go past the oil changes, if you need an oil change, get one,” he explained.

Not only did the vehicle’s distance reach an impressive number, it’s still on its first drivetrain with the original engine and transmission.

According to Intihar, his parents notched most of the one million kilometres driving to polka festivals all over North America.

“They would take a lot of road trips down south to Florida. Wherever there was a polka festival, they would go.”

How to make your car last

To get to this kind of mileage, Consumer Reports told CTV News drivers should start with a reliable vehicle and keep it well maintained.

“Routine maintenance is definitely the key to longevity. It costs some time and money for those maintenance items, but it’s generally money well spent,” said Michael Crossen, an auto expert with Consumer Reports.

“All the fluid changes, the filter changes, matter. It does add up but it’s cheaper than repairs down the line.”

Consumer Reports also recommends following the owner’s manual.

As for Intihar, he said he feels his father would be proud to know ‘Betsy’ made it to one million kilometres.

“It was my dad’s dream to get to one million and it’s done, so we are going to gracefully put her out to pasture,” he said Intihar. “Toyota should be proud. That’s a pretty impressive thing to have accomplished.”

In the end, rust is what led to ‘Betsy’s’ final drive.