Your Favorite Car Story

Manfried - 1982 Mercedes 240D

Written and submitted by Al Cooper

Manfried was purchased at the factory in Sindlefingen, West Germany by a US soldier in 1982. He brought the car to Ft. Bragg, NC in 1983 and retired to Jacksonville, FL in the ‘80s. My daughter purchased the car in1990 with 70k miles on him and drove him for about 6 years in Ponte Vedra, FL. She sold him to me in 1996 when she and her husband bought a 1985 MB 300TD wagon. He had 96,000 on him then and is at 135,700 now in 2008. Manfried has the factory Becker radio, a 4 speed transmission, AC, power steering, power brakes, cruise control, electric an-tenna, a passenger outside mirror, tinted windows and the optional alloy wheels. His mighty 4 cyl. 2.4 L diesel produces about 67HP and loads of torque which lets him cruise at 60-65 easily. I’ve accidently started him in 3rd one or two times and the torque will do it if you are in no hurry. As another Benz diesel lover said, “Who needs more than 67HP?”

Many 240Ds were used as taxis for years. We did our own version of a taxi with Manfried - driving two of our daughers to their weddings. The first one in Portsmouth, NH where the wedding and reception were held on the John Wannamaker, an ocean-going tug/restaurant and the second in Scituate, MA where the wedding was at the Union Mission Chapel in Scituate and the reception was in the Lightkeeper’s Cottage in Cohasset, MA on the harbor in view of the offshore Minot Light. All waxed up, he looked as good as any wedding limo I’ve seen and we still get to look at him and use him everyday.

Now we have a new granddaughter awaiting her first ride in Manfried and maybe her wedding in 20 or so years. We just returned from 2 months in Florida and I started Manfried. He had been under a cover in the driveway after the fall waxing so he is ready for another summer. I’m sure the BIO DIESEL I put in the tank last fall is the solution to storing a diesel in the winter. I’ve also used it in our sailboat diesel. It’s now Nov. of ‘08 and he has 135,700 on him and he is getting 30 mpg. Only a few hybrids can beat that so he is here forever.