Meet oom Gerhard du Toit and his Isuzu D-Max (previously known as a KB) bakkie with a whopping 1,7 million kilometres on the clock.

How did it get there?

Oom Gerhard bought his bakkie over 15 years ago when he started his courier business. The previous owner of the bakkie was his brother, who first bought Roadrunner (as the bakkie is affectionately known) in 1997, when it was a demo model with only 7,000 kilometres on the clock.

The bakkie serves as a workhorse for oom Gerhard’s courier business which requires him to travel between Oudtshoorn and George twice a day, every day. “I stop and start the bakkie between 80 to 100 times per day,” points out oom Gerhard.

Long lasting bakkie

Oom Gerhard credits never missing or skipping a service to the longevity of his Isuzu bakkie. “That is a given; 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.