Well, I succumbed to the advice of Sixto and took a chance on a 1986 300 SDL, sight unseen, after looking at a good set of photos. Not on e-bay, but from a used car dealer in Fla. It has my favorite color combination and has 103K on the clock. So, I rolled the dice with it.

Went down to Ft. Lauderdale to pick it up and the exterior is as good as the photos show. It has been repainted, but, it is quite a good job.

Of course, mechanically it is not as good as one would have hoped.

No radio, and the following is immediately required:
Motor mounts
Tie rods
Brake pads
Caliper(s)
Wheel balancing.
New driver seat springs

I took it up through Atlanta and onto my indy in Raleigh without incident. Dropped $750 at the indy to do all of the above, except the calipers and seat springs, and additionally change the rear axle fluid, check the injection timing and chain stretch, and have him go over the car thoroughly. He was fairly impressed with it and thinks that the 103K might be legit. Carfax has an entry of 52K four years ago, so it could have been just clocked before I bought it.

The most amazing thing about it is the fuel economy. I took it a total of 1611 miles and put in 48.51 gallons on three fuel stops. This equates to 33.20 which I am quite sure is impossible. After the first fill, I checked the odomoter against the road markers for 230 miles up I-75 in Georgia. Apparently, the odometer is reading about 7% high. So, the 33.20 must be reduced by 7%. This equates to 30.88. This number seems just unbelievable considering the SD gets about 26 right about now.

The car is very smooth on the highway and likes to run at 75mph with ease. Considerable difference from the SD. I am just starting to go through it and get to know the 603. So far, so good.

A photo: