Advice on the Specialized Secteur

Guys, I need your advice on picking out my next bike. Currently I am riding a Novara Big Buzz - Its a "Hybrid" bike with road tires. Originally I got the bike so I could commute back and forth to work but now my work hours have changed and I have the days to myself so I can go riding first thing in the morning.
Long story short, I am looking to upgrade to a more serious bike. I thought that I would just buy another Hybrid but after much consideration I've decided to go with an actual road bike because I find myself wanting to go for long rides, with the goal of a Century Ride before the end of summer.
I've been to over half a dozen LBS and I think I've settled on the Specialized Secteur. I like the way it feels, and rides. Atleast what I can get from the test rides. I want to know how it will hold up once I am "off the lot". So my question is this. If you own this bike, how does it feel after being on it for a couple of hours? Do you still like it? What would be a close comperable bike to this?

Another thing that I got from a couple of the shops is that they keep "reccomending" the next model up from the base one because the components are "Entry Level". It makes me question why they sale the "base" model anyway...

Your feedback would be most welcomed.

• Juan