Sounds like you are on the right track.
I was in your exact same position 4 or 5 months ago (looking for a nice, older steel bike that didn't weigh 30 lbs to use in some upcoming Tris). I ended up with a pristine Miyata 110 - not a bike I ever heard anyone here outwardly recommend. It's not top of the line by any means, but is relatively light, functions flawlessly, and is an absolute joy to ride. I can't wait to get out on it for my first race in a few months.
Depending on your market, I think it is hard to recommend a certain bike since your only options (assuming you're taking the CL route) are what comes up for sale. I would just recommend to look often and jump on something you think fits the bill - fit being the key word. If you buy something not quite "high end", at least you have something and if you find something you like better you can probably sell the other and recoup most, if not all of your money (assuming you don't overpay).
A great hint - the search function on this site is less than great IMHO. A better method is to google, "site:bikeforums.net XXX" with XXX being the particular bike/components/etc. you are considering. That search will return results from this site and give you some great opinions from people on here regarding the quality and worth of your potential buys. Good luck!