Mercedes-Benz 300 Adenauer (W186/W189)

25 sales analyzed · 12 topics from real Bring a Trailer & Cars & Bids comments.

“A Mercedes Adenauer for the price of a Kia Sedona! And no self-respecting pheasant hunters would head out in a minivan.”MauriceGunderson · Sep 16, 2019 at 3:50 PM

• Undervalued sedan: 'never gets the respect it deserves'market
  The recurring community theme is that the four-door Adenauer sedans are chronically undervalued and overlooked relative to their quality and history, with many sales in the mid-teens to $50k drawing 'bargain' and 'steal' reactions. Long-term watchers like johnw argue the model has simply never been very collectible, while others express frustration that an icon can be 'absolutely ignored.' …
• The value gulf: sedans vs. 300S/Sc, Cabriolet and the 300SLmarket
  Commenters draw a sharp line between the humble sedans and the coachbuilt 300S/Sc coupes, roadsters and cabriolets, which command six and seven figures; the 300Sc Cabriolet is cited as a million-dollar car. The Adenauer literally shared the showroom floor with the 300SL, and owners note that of the two, the Gullwing soared while the sedan sank. …
• Expensive and complicated to restoreownership
  A consistent warning is that these are among the most expensive cars short of a Rolls-Royce to restore, with parts costs, scarce specialist labor and no realistic path to profit. Owners cite figures like $200k invested to reach top condition, and caution that a survivor 'project' needs everything and will cost multiples of the purchase price. …
• Engine, suspension and chassis shared with the 300SLhistory
  The 3.0L M186/M189 six is repeatedly noted as the technical sibling of the 300SL Gullwing/Roadster engine, sharing the cylinder head, suspension and chassis architecture; the injected 300d and 300Sc used Bosch mechanical fuel injection like the SL. Enthusiasts treat this shared DNA as the core of the car's under-appreciated value. …
• Cold-start warm-up and the automatic chokemechanical
  Owners describe a required warm-up ritual: the automatic choke works off hot air from the exhaust, and when it isn't functioning the engine is weak and rough until warm. A healthy example should idle smoothly from cold without needing to be revved; a thrashy startup video was flagged as a sign the valvetrain needs attention. …
• Automatic gearbox: harsh shift is by design, and raremechanical
  The Mercedes automatic's firm, hard shift is described by knowledgeable commenters as engineered-in rather than a fault, protecting the clutches by minimizing slip; properly serviced these transmissions are considered nearly bulletproof. Automatic 300s are also noted as scarce, which some see as bolstering their investment value. …
• Rust in the sheet metal, but a corrosion-resistant framebuying
  Rust is a real concern and rust-belt cars can show severe body corrosion, but the marque expert distinguishes the sheet metal (which does rot) from the oval-tube cruciform frame, which is considered largely impervious. This is contrasted favorably with the contemporaneous Ponton 180/190/220, where frame corrosion is often terminal. …
• Stately, effortless cruiser with immense presencedriving
  Owners consistently describe the driving experience as regal and armchair-comfortable, a big cruiser that will hold 80 mph on the highway and cannot be compared to anything else. The car draws crowds wherever it is parked, turning routine errands into an event. …
• Cramped driver's compartment in the partition sedansownership
  Because the long-wheelbase partitioned sedans were built to be chauffeur-driven, the front seat can't slide back far, leaving tall owner-drivers cramped. Commenters repeatedly flag this as a genuine usability factor for a modern collector who won't be chauffeured, noting 'the chauffeurs in those days had short legs.' …
• Buying due diligence: oil pressure, injection pump, chassis numbersbuying
  Experienced buyers zero in on warm-idle oil pressure (a healthy warmed-up car reads around 2.5 bar) as low pressure signals an expensive rebuild, and warn that the injection pumps on injected cars 'cost a fortune.' Verifying identity matters: the true chassis number is stamped on the right frame rail with a separate coach tag on the A-pillar, and at least one auction was withdrawn over a mismatched VIN. Comprehensive documentation such as a Kardex or Heritage certificate is expected at six figures. …
• Aging buyer base and a thin, softening marketmarket
  Several long-time collectors voice concern that demand for 1950s Mercedes rests on an aging demographic with little new blood coming in, and that the broader market is drifting toward newer cars. This is offered as an explanation both for soft sedan prices and for anxiety about future values across the segment. …
• The restomod question: modernizing a 300Scosmetic
  A heavily modernized 300S Roadster conversion that sold for $486k split the community: purists lamented 'cheapening' one of the finest postwar Mercedes designs, while pro-conversion owners argued modern reliability, brakes and A/C make the car genuinely drivable. The build drew comparisons to Singer, and even skeptics acknowledged it worked 'in all the right ways.' …