Since it was delivered in July 2017, Tim German’s Hyundai Elantra has been on the move.

With now more than 760,000 kilometres on the odometer, the Korean sedan has traveled the four corners of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, allowing its owner to help save people’s lives as a medical courier urgently delivering blood products classified as having a short turnaround time (STAT).

Safety first

It was mostly for safety reasons that Mr. German chose an Elantra when the time came to purchase a new vehicle in 2017. A year earlier, a road accident caused the total loss of his previous vehicle, a 2016 Elantra. “The car was totaled, but my wife and I came out of it with no injuries,” says Mr. German.

After the accident, Mr. German started reading about numerous safety features and learned that the 2017 Elantra (a new generation model at the time) used “Superstructure” architecture with reinforced steel. “That’s really what convinced me to choose this vehicle,” explains Mr. German, who is now on his fourth Hyundai vehicle.

A little more than six years later, Mr. German clearly does not regret his choice. “It’s the best car I’ve ever owned,” he says.

Deliveries that help save lives

Every day, at the wheel of his Elantra which he affectionately calls “Dark Angel,” Mr. German delivers STAT blood products that can save the lives of ill people or victims of an accident. Mr. German was notably on duty during the day of the terrible Nova Scotia attacks of 2020. “It was absolutely surreal. I remember being completely alone on the road with the police officers while making emergency deliveries.”

Often on the road at the night, Mr. German experienced several unavoidable mishaps with “Dark Angel”, encountering various obstacles and animals along 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 lists. “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.”

With all this time spent on the road, Mr. German has even helped people outside of his blood donation deliveries. “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,” says Mr. German. “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.”

Despite all that “Dark Angel” has seen in its travels, and the high mileage of its 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine, Tim German says he’s impressed with the quality and reliability of his Elantra. The low fuel consumption, which has fluctuated between 6.5 and 7.0L/100 km since Mr. German took delivery, has also allowed him to cover this entire distance at a reasonable price in terms of fuel.

Maintenance is key

For Mr. German, the reliability of his 2017 Elantra is not by fluke. While Mr. German acknowledges that the build quality of his Elantra has a role to play, he points out that it is also thanks to diligent maintenance that he has been able to achieve such high mileage. “A wise man said to me once that if you look after your car, your car will look after you. That man was my father who taught auto mechanics for many years,” says Mr. German. “With all this time spent on the road, I have to do at least one oil change per month,” he explains, adding that he also makes sure to frequently check the filters and the levels of other fluids.

With more than 760,000 kilometres on the odometer, the 2017 Elantra is starting to catch the attention and curiosity of mechanics. “When I go for a service appointment, they are often very impressed by the mileage and the good overall condition of the vehicle, and they ask me all kinds of questions,” says Mr. German with a laugh. “I also got to thinking that the circumference of the earth is 40,075 kms. This amazing vehicle would have circled the earth 19 times in less than six years. That is very impressive, even to me!”

Today, Tim German says he wants to keep driving “Dark Angel” as much as he can, even though he knows he will eventually have to consider purchasing another vehicle. Meanwhile, his two daughters have also followed his path and both drive Hyundais, one owning an Elantra and the other a Santa Fe.