It Doesn't Have to Make Sense
A love letter to my 28-year-old Mercedes
A friend regularly admonishes me for the abysmal gas mileage I get on my old Mercedes.
“you’re literally burning money!”
I remind him that it’s not a matter of making sense. Few things make sense about driving an old German car.
But I adore her—Debbie. Debbie’s her name.
I love the way she smells. There’s real leather and the right kind of plastics. She will forever have “new car smell.”
Her handling is solid and power is smooth.
Her Bose stereo speakers are old-school high-fidelity. Still good after all these years.
Her V-6 makes a satisfying click, whistle, whirr on start-up when she’s already warm.
The door locks move up and down with vault-like precision. Her doors shut—just like the day she was built—with a satisfying thonk.
And the interior dome lights dim on and dim off gently.
*~There are no screens~*
The trunk releases and opens fully via remote—handy when my hands are full, no fumbling for a latch or lifting required.
All four of the windows have express-up and express-down functions—something that even some current cars do not have.
Oh—and the factory blue tint is subtle but helpful, and doesn’t look weird on a metallic gold car first registered in Arizona.
Perhaps most of all, she’s rock steady at high speed. Freeways and interstates are her natural habitat.
They truly don’t make cars like they used to, as cliché as that is.
“it’s a lifestyle choice!”
Newer Mercedes may feel solid and slick, but they aren’t quite as serious—nor as special.
It may come as a shock but there are also some things that aren’t so great about driving a 28-year old car.
Things like: a million tiny brittle plastic pieces on the inside that rattle and crackle over rough pavement—and disintegrate at the slightest pressure. I warn everyone who gets in the passenger seat to be very careful.
The necessity to start her up ten or fifteen minutes before departure. She purrs best when warmed.
An occasionally-finicky automatic transmission that will clunkily downshift between 3rd and 2nd gears. But this is rare and only requires a transmission fluid top-up.
A roof headliner that ripples in the wind any time I put the windows down—and is slowly detaching itself from the moonroof frame.
And—the aforementioned depressing efficiency. I get about 17mpg in mixed driving, about 20mpg on the highway. About 300 miles per tank and $60 a tank equates to about $150 a month in fuel expense.
Yet—I am rarely envious of other drivers.
As my friend said to me: “you’re literally burning money!”
To which I reply: “it’s a lifestyle choice!”
I have no monthly payment and inexpensive insurance. As a grandma-spec sleeper, Debbie rarely attracts traffic cops.
I like my old car. We’ve grown accustomed to each other, and anytime I’m away for very long, I miss the way she feels in my hands.
Our funny little rituals are charming.
I find myself looking down the hood at her three-pointed star, smiling—grateful.
I planned to drive a Mercedes for years, and finally found one.
One bucket list item down.
Some other civic things I’ve covered lately for 83 Degrees, Tampa Bay’s urbanism, entrepreneurship, and for good weekly news magazine.
The Allure of Ybor City
A profile of four Ybor City residents—why they chose to live there, what they love about the neighborhood, and how they’d like to see it evolve.
Preserving Ybor City’s past, building for its future
A discussion with photographer and historian Chip Weiner and investor-developer Charlie Garber about historic preservation and reinvesting in the urban fabric.
Fresh tactics on transit in Tampa Bay
As high-profile projects like extending the Streetcar progress slowly, pilot projects like a fare-free bus Route 1 show the public how public transit can integrate with their lives.
Tampa City Council’s Naya Young looking long term for city, District 5
I sat down with Tampa’s newest and youngest city council member to understand her priorities—like youth engagement, housing affordability, and transportation improvements.
Mise en Place settles into Ybor City home
Local restauranteur and hospitality pioneer Maryann Ferenc just moved her business to a new home in Ybor City—building on forty years of consistent experimentation.
Slowing down Ybor City’s Seventh Avenue
After a police chase and subsequent crash that killed four and injured thirteen, Tampa transportation officials work on tactics to slow people down in Ybor City’s busy pedestrian corridor.