We Made It Home

Update by Tim Suddard to the Mercedes-Benz 230 S project car
Jul 15, 2013

Ice cream stops are essential on a family trip, so we visited this old-school Dairy Queen in Central Ohio.

We made a stop for a factory tour at Hoosier Racing Tire. Our old friend Bruce Foss dug our old Mercedes. We were shocked at the number of people who wanted to talk cars with us along the way.

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The family had finally revolted and told me that no matter how late we had to drive, they were not staying in a hotel room one more night. After nearly 4000 miles at around 18.5 mpg, we made it home at 2:00 a.m., not long before the Fourth of July festivities.

I learned a lot on this trip. I learned that a good bad car will get you to your destination and back. I also learned that the right old car can make pretty good transportation—even if it is half a century old.

I learned something about my family, too. I broke through to my 18-year-old daughter; we actually spent some good quality time together, though she was not a fan of this whole trip idea. I learned that my 19-year-old son is probably a better mechanic than I am. The way he dove into the alternator and solved the problem amazed me. I also learned that my wife is a saint and a hell of a partner. How many wives would put up with a trip like this? I also learned that everyone just loves silly, old cars. Seeing a car like this old Mercedes seemed to make their day. In a world of beige Camrys, a car like the 230 S seems to remind them that they’re still alive. I was shocked at how many comments, conversations and kind gestures we received across America while driving this rather conventional yet old car.

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