Back in 1992 or 1993, my mom moved back in with my dad, and needed a car. My Alfa mechanic at the time was selling his wife’s 1982 Mercedes Benz 300D. My mother liked the idea of having a luxury car, and the diesel Benz was not an uncommon site in her new location in Midland, Texas. My dad funded most of the transaction, and I bought the Benz. I remember Larry the Mechanic writing “5 cylinder” in the title transfer form, and I was skeptical. Really, an odd number of cylinders? That can’t be right. He popped the hood and allowed me to count the injection lines.

The paint, variously called Blue Green Metallic or Petrol but it’s the same 877U on the build plate, had faded on the trunk, hood and roof. I took it to a paint shop in Bastrop and asked them to paint the trunk and hood. Why didn’t I ask them to paint the roof? I don’t know, and regret it to this day. I drove it around for a couple of weeks, and eventually drove it out Highways 183, 71, and 87 to Midland. I believe my ma enjoyed the idea of having a Mercedes than the actual car. I know she accidentally filled it up with gas once, but only once.

Sometimes I’ve tried to figure out my ma and all her signifier of status. She grew up sort of on the edge, during the depression in Chicago. Growing up in Dallas, she was always seeking luxury goods at discount prices – the designer outfit from Neiman Marcus at a 90% discount. The Benz was probably part of that.

After she and my dad died a couple years ago, I trailered the Mercedes behind a U Haul back to Austin. I pulled the CarFax out of curiosity, and it showed basically what I anticipated. It had regular inspections and oil changes for the past twenty years or so, and the mileage reflected the distance between my folk’s place and the Jiffy Lube. My ma had stopped driving due to deteriorating vision, and my dad preferred his 1992 Buick Le Sabre. The Buick had it’s cosmetic issues, but damn if that 3800 V6 still ran and the A/C blew cold after over 200,000 miles.