FRESNO, Calif. — How many miles is too many for a car or truck? Have you wondered?
Brad Marsoobian decided to find out with this his Chevy Avalanche that he bought in 2003.
Fresno driver’s million-mile milestone comes with an odometer glitch, stuck at 999,999. (Photo: FOX26 News Reporter Mayra Franco)
“Everybody was like, why would he drive 300,000 miles in a car? Everybody sells it at about 150,000, 200,000 miles, “he said, recalling how his friends would urge him to buy a new vehicle.
But more than two decades later, he keeps driving that same trunk.
“I’ve taken care of it, and it’s been taking care of me for 23 years now,” Marsoobian said.
It has now traveled more than one million miles, and he says the original engine is still under the hood
At around 200,000 miles, Marsoobian considered selling the truck. Then it reached 300,000. Eventually, it hit 500,000 miles, a milestone he celebrated with a local commercial.
That’s when he set his sights on an even bigger goal: one million miles.
“At around 500,000 miles, it became, ‘Okay, you got to 500,000. You think you can make it to six? Do you think you can make it to seven? How about a million?’” he said.
The Avalanche has traveled up, and down California for Marsoobian’s work. He estimates he drives nearly 56,000 miles every year, and sometimes even more.
Then came the moment he had been waiting years to see.
On Monday night, Marsoobian went for a drive with his daughter, Sydney, and his sister, Lori, after grabbing ice cream. He wanted to capture the exact moment the odometer rolled from 999,999 to one million.
They waited. And waited. And waited.
But the numbers never changed.
Instead, the odometer remained stuck at 999,999.
Fresno driver’s million-mile milestone comes with an odometer glitch, stuck at 999,999. (Photo: FOX26 News Reporter Mayra Franco)
In a video from the drive, the family can be heard laughing and joking about the unexpected problem.
“It was exciting, but then when it didn’t roll over, ’cause it stayed, like I said, at the 999999 for a good 10 miles afterwards, we just kind of all looked at each other like, okay, I guess we’re good,” Marsoobian said.
Days later, an error code appeared on the odometer.
Fresno driver’s million-mile milestone comes with an odometer glitch, stuck at 999,999. (Photo: FOX26 Photojournalist Bert Montelongo)
Still, Marsoobian considers the goal accomplished.
“It was fun to try and reach the goal,” he said. “I’m kind of a goal-oriented person. So, you set a goal, you reach a goal.”
So, after more than one million miles, we asked him, is it finally time for a new truck?
“Of course, yeah,” he said. “No, it’s time for a new car and I’ll probably get a new truck. Not sure which way I’m going to go. It’s definitely time for something new.”
But this avalanche isn’t going anywhere, he’s keeping it and will be putting more miles on it.
“I mean, it takes me everywhere. Gets me home safe. It’s been very reliable. It’s been good,” he said.
Marsoobian’s Avalanche has already gained attention for its mileage milestones.
When it reached 500,000 miles, he appeared in a local commercial with Hedrick’s Chevrolet in Clovis.
That commercial has since received more than 11,000 views online.
Marsoobian hopes this latest milestone could lead to another commercial.