oh sooo slow
 

went to look at an 83 300d t station wagon. manual sunroof. not all that bad looking really. but so slow. must have taken 10 seconds to accelerate to 20 mph. then all of a sudden the booger took off and was normal. but every start from stop was again so slow. what could cause such a condition? the man did say his wife did not like driving this car. no wonder why!

It could be many things. Are you sure the trans was shifting correctly? I don't know if it is possible but maybe its stuck in 2nd? Sounds like once the boost is up it takes off? That would lead me to believe the ALDA is screwy. I just finished adjusting mine and it made a huge difference in the off-idle, and transition to boost operation. Maybe you can adjust it? RT