Mercedes-Benz Ponton

60 sales analyzed · 16 topics from real Bring a Trailer & Cars & Bids comments.

“You will find yourself at many a red light wondering if the engine is still running, pushing the starter button and being embarrassed because it was idling so smoothly”Puchwagerl · Apr 18, 2023 at 3:11 PM

• The Hydrak semi-automatic clutch: rare, divisive, and hard to fixmechanical
  The Hydrak is a clutchless system (a vacuum-operated clutch plus fluid coupling, not a separate transmission) that owners either treasure as a rare curiosity or dread. Detractors describe it as unnerving to drive and terrifying to park in reverse, with obsolete parts making failures expensive; defenders love the driving experience and warn against deleting it because so few survive. …
• Drum brakes: six wheel cylinders and arc-ground shoes make brake work costlymechanical
  The Ponton uses six wheel cylinders (two per side up front, one per side rear), and owners repeatedly warn a full brake job can quietly consume $1k-$2k even doing the work yourself. The fixed-heel shoe design requires each shoe to be arc-ground to its drum, and SE cars used finned aluminum front shoes; several owners recommend pulling the drums to evaluate on any new purchase. …
• Rust: rear quarters, front fenders, and the hidden battery traybuying
  Rust is the single biggest determinant of a Ponton's worth. On coupes and cabriolets the inner and outer rear quarters (at and behind the wheel openings) and front fenders rot long before the floors, while a corroded battery tray hides against the passenger firewall. …
• Column shift: pleasant when set up, pesky when worndriving
  The four-on-the-column shifter draws frequent complaints about balky reverse and finicky adjustment, but experienced owners insist it is well designed and a pleasure when the perishable parts are fresh. Reverse-engagement problems are typically traced to worn nylon bushings in the steering column, and MB fitted column shift because it believed the American market wanted it. …
• Solex carburetors versus fuel injection: the sound of the SEmechanical
  The twin Solex carbs on carbureted cars are called problematic and are blamed for a less refined engine note; owners suggest Weber DGV or EFI conversions on drivers. The fuel-injected 220SE is described as noticeably smoother and quieter back-to-back, and its injection is a key reason SE cars are prized. …
• Engine durability and the 100,000-mile valve guidesmechanical
  The Ponton's engines are consistently described as tough and long-lived, with valve guides the one predictable wear item around 100,000 miles (a job owners call no big deal). Long-term owners report cars that 'never break,' and the diesels are credited in some markets with running for a million miles. …
• Driving character: quiet, smooth, and autobahn-capabledriving
  Owners describe an unusually refined, quiet car that idles so smoothly you check whether it is running, rides like a limousine, and handles far better than its bulk suggests. Multiple first-hand German accounts put sustained autobahn cruising at 90-100 mph, and the upright, formal driving position is called relaxing and dignified. …
• The wood dashboard: solid beech, not veneer (on sedans)cosmetic
  The interior wood is a signature feature and a point of pride, but its makeup is debated: an owner who refinished his own reports the 220S sedan wood is solid beech rather than veneer, correcting even marque expert Frank Barrett. Professional wood restoration is expensive, with Madera Concepts named repeatedly as the go-to shop at roughly $5-7k. …
• Market: sedans undervalued, coupes and cabriolets command six figuresmarket
  The community consistently calls the four-door sedans undervalued (frequently trading in the teens to low-thirties) despite sharing engineering with the six-figure 190SL, while hand-built coupes and especially cabriolets reach $100k-$170k+. A restored 220S coupe set a BaT record at $171k, but the wider Ponton market is also described as long flat, and metal-roof coupes lag convertibles. …
• Restoration cost routinely exceeds the finished car's valueownership
  A full restoration is described as brutally expensive and labor-intensive: thousands of man-hours, four-figure single fenders, and panels that all need extensive soldering because nothing fits off the shelf. Estimates for a proper job range from $75-100k up toward $200k, often more than the completed car is worth, which is why buyers are steered toward already-done or genuinely solid cars. …
• Understanding the range: 180/190/219/220/220S/220SE and W120/W121/W180history
  The Ponton family spans four- and six-cylinder cars with meaningful trim and mechanical differences: the 219 is unusual as the larger engine in the smaller body and uses a plainer bakelite (not wood) interior; single-carb 220 cars are torquey and smooth without missing the 220S's dual Solexes; and the W121 190 series carries chrome belt-line trim absent on the W120 180 series. …
• Wheels: 13-inch original, many upgrade to 14-inchmechanical
  Pontons were originally fitted with 13-inch wheels, but owners commonly move to 14-inch rims from later Mercedes (often with 123-chassis 300D hubcaps) for a better tire selection and to cure excessive sidewall flex, which meaningfully changes ride and handling. The correct original metric size is hard to source, with limited brand availability. …
• Webasto sunroof: value-add, but verify it is originalcosmetic
  A factory Webasto sliding roof is desirable and adds value, and owners insist a good one does not leak. But buyers should confirm authenticity: sunroof cars carry distinct VIN prefixes, the roof structure is reportedly not reinforced for the opening, and aftermarket sunroofs retrofitted to flip cars are called out as non-original. …
• VIN, chassis versus engine numbers, and titling headachesbuying
  Pre-1980 Mercedes did not use 17-digit VINs, and titles sometimes carry the engine number instead of the chassis number, creating registration and import problems. Buyers report title-to-car mismatches (especially on overseas imports) and one seller spent hours with a state DOT untangling the older numbering, so verifying the numbers before purchase is repeatedly advised. …
• Heater boxes and parts availabilityownership
  Heater boxes and ducts are a recognized weak point that, with brakes, can gobble a project budget; the original cardboard ducts get eaten by mice and modern replacements are plastic. Otherwise the community is emphatic that parts are readily available and inexpensive, from NAPA/CarQuest rebuild bits to German suppliers whose sites are in English, provided the car is reasonably rust-free. …
• The ownership community: IPOG, mbzponton.org, and 'Pontonitis'ownership
  A remarkably devoted support network defines Ponton ownership. Owners repeatedly point newcomers to the International Ponton Owners Group and mbzponton.org for parts, manuals and advice, and treat marque expert Frank Barrett's endorsement as bankable. …