Astro-nomical half a million miles for Ian

The 1999-reg model, purchased at three months old with just 4,000 miles on the clock at the time, has since travelled the length and breadth of Ireland with 62-year-old Ian Donnell behind the wheel.

With an impressive 520,000 miles under its belt, Ian has no plans to retire the vehicle and will continue travelling up and down the land in the hard-working Astra.

Ian said: “Despite years of transporting carpets up and down the country, my Astra is a real workhorse and is doing me proud. In all my years of driving, I’ve always chosen Vauxhall cars – they certainly stand the test of time, even with me putting them through their paces!”

The team at local Vauxhall retailer, Eakin Bros, is delighted that Ian’s car is still going strong and continues to sail through its servicing at the Maydown dealership. Sales Manager David Moore added: “For a car to travel over half a million miles is a fantastic achievement – we put it down to it having received expert servicing of course!

“Ian is a loyal Vauxhall customer and has driven nothing but Vauxhall vehicles throughout his entire motoring life. Before his current Astra, Ian had another Astra in which he clocked up over 200,000 miles, so you could say Ian really likes going the extra mile or thousand!”

In addition to the well-travelled Astra, Ian also owns a 2008 Astra with 65,000 miles on the clock, which he uses mainly for leisure.