I agree that the 103 isn't as peppy as even the 420, but a lot of that can be rectified with driving style. The 300SEL really does suffer from the extra weight of the L body, the 300SE seems to be just at the limit of what kind of weight a 103 can pull around without being underpowered.

Driving style in these cars makes all the difference. The 300SE can really boogie, and it's not such a slug off the line if you're willing to really punch the gas and deal with the 2-1 kickdown. Once you get it in the torque band, the motor is actually pretty damn strong. The 300SELs I've driven seem quite a bit slower than the SE, but that could be the state of the cars maintenance.

The thing about the M103 is that in such a heavy car, you will really notice things like bad plugs, bad gas, or anything that is robbing your performance. When you finally get all those things taken care of, the car is surprisingly quick and fun to drive. Also, you have to be willing to not let it hit 4th gear sometimes in town in order to keep your torque.

Higher motor noise and RPMs at speed are a bit of a tradeoff, though. The V8s will be much quieter on the highway. There's something nice about driving a high RPM motor, though. It makes the car feel much more sporty and less like a sedan. It sort of has a BMW feel to it.......

No matter which one you decide to get, just know that you will be spending some considerable money to fix it and sooner rather than later.


-tp