JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An iconic moment for a local pickup truck. A Jacksonville man has now crossed the million-mile mark on his old GMC pickup truck.
Virgil Danese’s daughter recorded the event and posted it on TikTok. The video has garnered several hundred thousand views.
@therachelroberts Today, my dad’s truck rolled over 1 million miles! We have been waiting for this for a long time! This truck has handled the test of time like a boss. My dad has been through so much in this old thing. I hope GMC sees this and is proud of what they have made!! #1million #gmc #sonoma #truck @GMC
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News4JAX spoke with Danese, who said he purchased the truck new in 1997 for $12,000.
“Third engine,” said Danese. “Only 1 transmission replacement and that was at 800,000 miles.”
Danese added that when he purchased the vehicle, he got a lifetime warranty on the air conditioning and has replaced the compressor three times, but has never been charged by the dealer.
“I think they did regret selling me that policy,” Danese said, laughing.
His daughter, Rachel Roberts, decided to document the odometer passing a million miles and even planned to take off work when it happened, but fortunately, it happened in her off hours.
“I remember the first time I saw this roll in when I was 3-4 years old,” Roberts said.
The family said a dealership out of Texas offered to pay them well above market value for the truck, but they decided to pass. Danese said he hopes to drive the truck another million miles.