A Maritimes man is three-quarters of the way to the million club, million kilometres that is.

Tim German has driven more than 760,000 kilometres in his 2017 Hyundai Elantra, which he affectionately calls “Dark Angel.”

He bought the car at Steele Hyundai Halifax and has been racking up the kilometres as a courier of medical products, doing short turnaround time (STAT) of blood product deliveries in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

“It’s the best car I’ve ever owned,” he said in an April 10 news release from Hyundai Auto Canada.

He purchased his car in 2017 after his 2016 Elantra was written off in a collision.

After doing some research, he learned the 2017 model, which was a new generation, had some safety improvements, including what’s called a “Superstructure” architecture with reinforced steel.

“That’s really what convinced me to choose this vehicle,” he said in the release.

This is his fourth Hyundai vehicle.

The blood product deliveries also help save people’s lives, including those who are injured in collisions.

Often travelling at night, he’s had mishaps, such as encountering animals on the road.

“I have had to replace the front bumper cover four times, one engine cover, two windshield washer reservoirs and one rear bumper cover,” he said. “The Elantra has also absorbed impact from two deer, one coyote, one rabbit, two raccoons, a steel hubcap as well as a large piece of metal off an 18-wheeler.”

On one occasion, he helped a fellow traveller in distress.

“One of my proudest moments while driving the Dark Angel happened as I was returning from Prince Edward Island Queen Elizabeth Hospital and happened to see smoke rising over the treeline a short distance ahead in the road,” he said. “As I came around the corner, I saw a car was in the ditch and on fire. A lady was trapped in the vehicle and was not in great condition, I stopped and scrambled to the car trying to remove her quickly as the car was becoming fully engulfed by fire. Another lady stopped to help, and we got the occupant out and carried her up to safety. A gentleman driving by stopped and luckily help put the fire out. I was able to get the lady’s purse out of the car and gave it to the paramedics.”

His tip for other drivers hoping to get a long life out of their vehicles is: look after your vehicle.

He said because of how much he drives, he changes the oil at least once a month and he frequently checks the filters and fluid levels.

“When I go for a service appointment, (mechanics) are often very impressed by the mileage and the good overall condition of the vehicle, and they ask me all kinds of questions,” he said. “I also got to thinking that the circumference of the earth is 40,075 kilometres. This amazing vehicle would have circled the earth 19 times in less than six years. That is very impressive, even to me!”

He plans to drive the car as long as he can.