MONROE — Cars are costly. Very. Really expensive.

Not just the ever-exploding sticker prices, but the true cost of ownership: Insurance, maintenance, repairs, tires. It seemingly never ends. And gas prices — now, absolutely blowing a hole in household budgets.

But amid all of that financial doom and gloom is a local ray of light: A Monroe man is nearing success in his quest to get 1 million miles out of his longsuffering, 2012 Hyundai Elantra. A million miles, is a long road indeed. But while he’s had three transmissions, the Elantra still has its original, factory engine block.

“I’m driving in it right now, I didn’t think I’d make it,” said the car’s owner, Marko Bajic of Monroe, who was, unsurprisingly, on the road when contacted by the Monroe Times recently about his Korean mechanical miracle.

Bajic, a physical therapist who is on the road pretty much full time, says he’s only a couple thousand away now from that elusive goal.

Bajic bought the car new from a dealership in his hometown of Schaumburg, Illinois, right after graduating from college in 2012. He's put more than 65,000 miles a year on the vehicle on average.

“I traded my 1998 (Ford) Mustang for it,” he said. “It was the first new car I’ve ever owned, but I had no idea I would be driving it for so long, and for so many miles.”

Riding a wave of American demand for Korean cars — touted as having Japanese-level build quality at a discount — the company sold 202,034 Elantras, setting an all-time sales record for the model at the time. Experts say a 2012 Hyundai Elantra can typically last between 150,000 and 250,000 miles with proper maintenance although most car value sites list a 2012 Elantra with 200,000 on the odometer as “high mileage.”

“High-mileage 2012 models may require repairs around 180k to 200k miles, including valve cover gaskets, ignition coils, and alternators,” said one online automotive tech forum.

Indeed, Bajic said he’s had his share of work done on his old Elantra, far too much to count. And over those years he’s had dozens of mechanics work on the Elantra during its trips to the shop, including the Auto Clinic of Monroe since he moved to Wisconsin. On average, Bajic’s mechanic said his customer puts about 50,000 miles a year on the Elantra, but that’s not even his only car.

“All of the technicians who have ever worked for me knows all about that car,” said Kyle Knoll, the Monroe’s shop’s owner. “It seems like it is pretty much in here every other week for at least an oil change.”

And way more than that — Bajic is on that third transmission, along with countless other parts, chief among them tires, brake pads and batteries. Knoll notes that Bajic got a good deal on the otherwise costly transmissions from the Hyundai dealer back in Illinois. But despite the costs adding up over the years, he said it’s been well worth it to drive the same car day in and day out. It also helps, he admits, that the Elantra gets on average about 33 miles per gallon.

So not only has he saved plenty at the pump and by not making car payments on what surely would have been several depreciating cars over the years, he’s got the existential thrill of achieving a goal.

“There is really something to be said for that,” said Knoll, the mechanic. “We are all pulling for him here, wondering when he is going to make it.”