When car buyers shop for a vehicle, they have many choices and a list of criteria to find the best vehicle that meets their family’s needs. One of the questions many consumers look for is the most reliable vehicle they can buy. This makes complete sense because the average cost of a new car is $31,252 according to USA Today.

In the past, car buyers would hope their vehicle would last 100,000 miles. Many would think about trading the vehicle in at around 60,000 miles so they would still receive some value for their vehicle. With the technology today, cars are being built to last in upwards of 150,000 miles and the average vehicle on the road last about 11 years. Value is also very important as the average driver drives about 13,500 miles a year. In Dallas and Fort Worth, this number is a few thousand miles higher. That means the cost of owning a new car (staying within the average lifespan of the vehicle) is about $3,125 a year not factoring in maintenance, gas, taxes, and other state or federal fees. The smart consumer is looking for a great vehicle that will last a long time at a fair price.

Every now and then, we hear of cars lasting 250,000 miles or even topping the 300,000 miles and we are amazed. This is usually the exception when thinking about road conditions, other drivers and any type of hazard that can ruin a driver’s day. So, it was pretty exciting to meet Colonel Roosevelt and Yvonne Speed at Southwest KIA in Rockwall, Texas who decided it was time to trade their 2006 KIA Sedona. When they drove their Sedona to the Northeast Texas automotive dealership, the odometer turned to 401,509 miles. Yes, you read that right. Over 400,000 miles of driving were recorded on this 2006 KIA Sedona. One might expect this vehicle would be in less than running condition, but to the contrary. It was well maintained and looked great. The best part about it, is that it still runs great. The owners just wanted a newer vehicle that had the latest options. This new vehicle will be instrumental with the Speed’s business that will be talked about later in this article. So when, Colonel Speed and his wife picked out a new vehicle they finalized their decision on a… you guessed it…a New 2015 KIA Sedona, and they could not be happier!

So really the question is how far is 400,000 miles?

You could drive from Florida to California 145 times before reaching the total. You could make 270 trips from Dallas to the Northern tip of Michigan. If you were adventurous and desired to touch all Lower 48 states as well as the District of Columbia, you could make that trip 58 times without exceeding 400,000 miles. If that doesn’t put into perspective how far this KIA has been driven, think about this… If there was a road that could take you to the moon, this KIA would be able to travel it. Yes, that’s right, the KIA Sedona can take you the distance to the moon!

How did Colonel Roosevelt and Yvonne Speed reach the 400,000 mile accomplishment in their 2006 KIA Sedona?

In 2002, the Speed’s incorporated CPR Institute Inc. Yvonne is a seasoned Paramedic who has diligently worked in many hospital environments. She has also performed as a licensed Paramedic on-board many Emergency Medical Service (EMS) Ambulance Vehicles. Colonel Roosevelt Speed is a retired Army veteran with over 30-years active military service. His assignments have carried him around the world – twice – seeing combat action in Vietnam (South East Asia) and Desert Storm (Middle East). He commanded one of the largest Mobile Advisory Teams in Vietnam and served as an Inspector General of VII U.S. Army Corps, during Desert Storm. As a multi-linguist (German and Vietnamese), these traits have served him well throughout his many and varied assignments.

CPR Institute Inc is an authorized Training Center for the American Heart Association (AHA). Although they are located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, they are a Multi-Regional Training Center. This means that we they conduct training, in the name of the American Heart Association, throughout the United States. In addition, they are also American Heart Association Regional Faculty members that over-see the operations of Five (5) other AHA Training Centers. The CPR Institute Inc. training staff exceeds 300 active CPR/First Aid/AED Trainers. They are Automated External Defibrillator (AED) distributors and single-point managers of AED programs – primarily for large corporate clients located throughout the United States.

Because of their AED Management responsibilities, a very important part of the business, they travel extensively throughout the U.S. To accomplish this, they have driven a Kia Sedona Van for the past 13-years. The first KIA Sedona was a pre-owned van that they enjoyed so much that they purchased a new one – the 2006 KIA Sedona which is the feature of this article. This KIA has its original miles and was maintained with regular maintenance and oil changes. It has all original KIA equipment items.

“Throughout the years, we have found the Sedona durable, reliable and cost effective to operate. These are just a few of the reasons why we have stuck with and by the KIA Sedona for well over 13 years” states Yvonne Speed.

To check out a piece of history and see the 2006 400 thousand mile driven Kia Sedona, visit Southwest Kia Rockwall located at 1790 East I-30 in Rockwall, Texas or to view all of the latest new and used car inventory contact the dealership at 469.402.2900 or http://www.southwestkia-rockwall.com.