Gerhard du Toit of Oudtshoorn in the Western Cape says his KB bakkie has clocked more than 1,7 million kilometres.
The 74-year-old says he has used the bakkie (which he’s dubbed “Roadrunner”) for his courier business for the past 15 years. His brother bought the vehicle in 1997 as a demo with 7 000 km on the clock.
“You have to understand that I treat my bakkie very well and talk to my bakkie every day. I ask the bakkie to drive nicely and tell the bakkie that I rely on it, to get me where I need to be,” said Du Toit.
Du Toit uses the vehicle to travel between Oudtshoorn and George twice a day.
“I stop and start the bakkie between 80 to 100 times per day. This is as I drop off the parcels or pick up parcels at my various clients in the two towns. I have had to replace my front seat covers twice already, but I think Roadrunner may still outlive me one day,” he said.
Du Toit added he has never missed a service.
“You do not miss that 10 000 km service for anything. Other than the oil and filter changes, wheel alignment and so on, there is never any major problems when I take the bakkie for its service,” he said.
