1990 420SEL starts out in 2nd gear

[goertz]

my 420 SEL starts in second gear. always has since i've owned it. i'm sure this isn't normal. it actually seems normal, and if you didn't know the difference, you could never tell, but if you put the shifter in 1st, it will start in 1st. but if left in drive, it will always start out in second gear from a stop. shifts fine through all the gears, no slips, etc. if you accelerate normally, it shifts from 2nd to 3rd, and so on. if you floor it from a stop, it will start out in 2nd gear, then when up to about 15 mph, downshift to 1st. the car has 235,000 miles on it. I don't think the trans has ever been rebuilt, although i couldn't be sure. any ideas?