I believe it was a 1985 Mercedes Silver 300D Turbo!His first and only new car in his lifetime?
He had it for a good 15 years before it went to Cat in Utah, then Carl in LA. Rest In Peace, Mercedes. I still get happy whenever I see one cruisin' the streets.
Dad's Mercedes had several rules:
1. Don't put your feet in the webbing on the back of the seats.
2. Don't draw in the fog/moisture of window or else you'll have to get the windex when you get home to clean up your finger prints.
3. Don't roll down one of the windows or else it won't come back--but you can never remember which one.
4. Don't try to pull up the lock on the back doors to unlock the car door because it breaks it!
5. DIESEL GASOLINE ONLY!
6. Respect the turbo, baby!
7. What other sound makes you happier than to hear a diesel engine two miles away?
8. When bored, inspect the steel hip replacement that adorns the middle space between the front seats.
9. The stereo system only plays NPR--otherwise "somehow" your tape would be ejected out of the window and into the street.
10. Seats 5? According to Gus lore- 1 dad and 6 kids- 1 child in front, 3 in the back seats, Susie and Cathryn curled up behind the front seats.
11. Groceries don't unload themselves. Everyone has to help--stinks, huh? To make it a good, efficient grocery run, put five plastic Safeway bags on each arm and heft yourself+groceries into the house. Which breaks first--arm or plastic bag? Hopefully neither.
There is no changing the temperature; the heat is always on and always full blast.
ReplyDeleteDon't look in the trunk during the month of December.
Wait for the yellow light to turn off after you've inserted the key, otherwise you will make the entire car explode or something.
Opening the sunroof ruins Dad's "hair."
There must always be an orange somewhere in there.
Don't play with the glove box.
Don't expect to accelerate quickly; a classic car takes time to go.
No matter what fresheners you put in there, that car will always smell like Dad and old sweat.
There's bound to be at least one swim suit in the trunk... and probably Carl's old Speedo.
No one ever knew how to change the radio stations. The buttons were too confusing.
There was once a first aid kit in the rear window, but who knows what happened to that.
If you hit someone with Old Faithful, she will not get hurt, but the other car will...a LOT.
No one knows how many miles were really on that thing.
She doesn't like to turn on in cold places, like Utah. She prefers to run smoothly in California.
The whole neighborhood knew when Dad got home.
If you're really lucky, you might just go for a frozen yogurt or a Thrifty ice cream in her, but the rule is that all cones must be finished inside the car.