Above is the car that got me to Rhode Island and back, despite its age and mileage (now just over 250K): Lily Von Shtup, my 1983 Mercedes Benz 300D Turbo Diesel, purchased on eBay in 2003 for $3000. The Mercedes designation W123.153 model has turned out to be the best car I've owned. I haven't spent much to maintain her, just the usual items like brakes, wipers, etc., and some bodywork. Speaking of which, she needs much more: rust never sleeps and this car sits outside all year long. My mechanic says the drivetrain is strong but it's the floorpan and the body panels that concern me. My plan as of now is to sink a bit of money into Lily to fix the worst of the rust and get a repaint. Then I'll drive her until the transmission or engine fails. That might be quite a while. Lily performed like a champ on the trip to Rhode Island. All I did was make sure the tires were properly inflated (2 PSI extra for high-speed highway driving) and top off the oil when I got to Rhode Island. I made it there and back on a bit less than one tank of diesel. When properly tuned, this car will get 30 mpg or more and can do autobahn speeds of 100 mph plus all day long if necessary. That's with a turbocharged five-cylinder engine that puts out roughly 125 horsepower, woefully underpowered by today's goofy standards. But it makes up for it with the diesel's secret weapon: great gobs of low-end torque on demand!

Last week's show took place in my home office, the actual one and MY MIND, which I've dubbed "the home office" in homage to Barton Fink (above).

Congrats to my cousin Jennifer (below), who just opened her store Pop Vintage Antiques in Woodstock.  I hope to get up there before my next foot surgery in early May. When in Woodstock, please visit her at 68 Tinker Street and tell her Cousin Chris sent you!