Half a million and still chuggin'

For the past six months VW has been conducting its Diesel Heritage Search to find both the oldest VW diesel and the highest mileage VW diesel still on the road. These were American roads, by the way, and the cars had to be running their original engines to boot.

Last week we reported the oldest winner had been announced - Clint Wilson, from Tehachapi, California, and his 1977 Volkswagen Rabbit. This week we bring news of the highest mileage winner: Syl Schmid of Blue Rock, OH. Looks like Syl has clocked over 562,000 miles on his 1986 Jetta Turbo Diesel. The Jetta's mileage was verified by Volkswagen of America, Inc., and Byers Imports, a Columbus, OH Volkswagen dealership.

Syl's fuel mileage records indicate that the Jetta often delivered over 50 mpg. We can't help but wonder if Syl has ever used biodiesel in his Jetta. It wouldn't surprise us a bit - after all, biodiesel burns cleaner, lubricates better and helps diesels old and new last longer.

As a winner of this contest, Syl has been awarded a Touareg V10 TDI to drive for six months. Lucky Syl.

photo of Syl Schmid and his high mileage 1986 Jetta - photo © Volkswagen of America