Many have heard of the "three-million-mile Volvo" - a 1966 Volvo 1800S formerly owned by the late Irv Gordon, which clocked some 3.2 million miles since new, or enough to travel around the globe 120 times.

Now, a similar story has just broken, about a most dissimilar vehicle: a 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage.

Jerry and Janice Huot of rural Minnesota drove an astonishing 414,000 miles in their hardwearing Japanese subcompact, keeping the car through six tough midwestern winters and only trading it in at the dealership when they were offered a deal on a new car that was too good to pass up.

The "Purple Won", as the Huots dubbed their used Mirage, lived a varied life, hauling rocks and mulch for a landscaping project, dressing up as a Minnesota Vikings helmet during football season, and serving as a commercial delivery vehicle. That's how it racked up most of its mileage; Jerry is a courier who drives samples from doctors' offices to labs, traveling all across the state and around the city of Minneapolis. That sort of work is tough on a car, but in 414,000 miles, Purple Won didn't leave the Huots stranded or require much at all outside of typical servicing.

The 2014 Mitsubishi Mirage needed new wheel bearings at around 150,000 miles, and a new starter somewhere between 200,000 and 300,000, but that's it.

Jerry and Janice finally said goodbye to their beloved and faithful Mirage after they were approached by the dealer principal at their local Mitsubishi dealership, White Bear Mitsubishi, who wanted to use the car for advertising. The dealer worked to get them a 2020 Mirage for a steal - a car the Huots affectionately refer to as "Top MPG".

"It's really peppy and comfortable, and it's got heated seats and a really nice stereo," Jerry recently told Mitsubishi. "The Purple Won was the first new car I'd ever owned, and it was absolutely the best, totally dependable and economical. We still miss it."

"As long as Mitsubishi keeps making the Mirage, I'll own one," he says.