When we consider the Mercedes-Benz W108/109 lineup, we often think about the desirable V8-powered sedans, or perhaps the lovely cabriolet and coupe models. The sedan with the 2.8L inline-six is less sought after, perhaps, but it’s still a wonderful highway cruiser with Mercedes’ legendary inline-six reliability. The car listed here on Facebook Marketplace is not represented all that well, but sometimes, that works out in the buyer’s favor if they can find a diamond in the rough. The seller does claim that he’s made considerable investment in new parts and repairs, and it’s offered for sale at $4,500.

When I write up the Mercedes sedans from this era, I generally get excited about the V8 cars. They were surprisingly powerful for the era, and incredible highway cruisers. It was a significantly different take on the luxury sedan compared to the U.S. manufacturers, which placed a similar emphasis on power but perhaps prioritized styling over impenetrable highway manners. When Mercedes engineers got to work, it was as if they were fixated on how many miles and for how many hours the model could withstand sustained speeds of over 100 miles per hour. For his counterpart at Cadillac, it was more about how insulated its occupants could be from anything in the outside environment.

The other thing that stands out from Mercedes products of this era – and would continue through the W124, W123, and W126 models – is the durability of the interior materials. I do suspect this car has some issues with the dashboard and wood trim, as we have no photos of those areas and they tend to deteriorate over time. But the seats are downright bulletproof. Anything operated by vacuum controls will be suspect, and again, the seller doesn’t tell us much about how windows and door locks are functioning at the moment. The body shows some signs of rust, and can make the decision to restore a six-cylinder example somewhat risky.

While the I6 cars are not nearly as desirable, they are similarly durable. The fuel-injected 2.8-liter M130 engine generates 158 horsepower and 177 lb.-ft. of torque, and while it is generally entertaining with the standard 4-speed manual, this car is an automatic. That’s the typical choice, admittedly, but we’d be having a different conversation if this project Benz was equipped with a manual gearbox. The seller believes the camshaft is new but has no way to verify and offers no details as to why he suspects that; regardless, this is a project worth exploring in-person if you’re near the seller’s location. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Pnuts for the find.