$15,000 new (used) car...

[pitfield]

I would drop the Z3 immediately, they're shit.

If you want rear drive BMW action then even in our land of the pricey you could look at E36 M3s.

MINIs are fantastic, I don't work at BMW/MINI anymore but I've had about 60 different company cars in the last year or so, just demos but due to my big mileages and the company having to register new cars as demos to hit target I've been given some nice stuff to put mileage on (it was roughly about 650/week) and they can't be sold until they have done 2k).

Favourite BMW was prob E46 330cd MSport Convertible.
Had a treat of Z4M roadster bit wasn't my daily.
You can keep any 4 Cylinder BMW (obviously E30 M3 and 318is weren't on the menu).

The only BMWs that came my way which need to rated in two ways in terms of getting me out of Cooper S, R52/R53/R56 are:

We'll start with fancying a change after loads of MINI.

E90 330i Msport Auto, Black Sapphire with Black and Media.
Awesome chassis, I hate Autos but it was fun, almost unstickable amounts of grip even in the wet, you really need to mean it to get it to slode.

E90 330i MSport Manual, as above but with beige, much easier to play with but crying out for a LSD, but as fast as a 3 was at the time.

E92 325i SE Manual, launch car in Titanium, lovely engine, and exclusive at the time but sadly shit ride quality (which you sort of don't notice on Msport models 'cause they're hard anyway).

E87 130i Manual, Black/Black, Rover 25 shouldn't ever have had 260BHP+ but a lairy thing.

E85 3.0si MSport Man, Silvergrey/Black.
Fab engine, no diff, bonnet too long, great to look at but having played Boxster while at Porsche it was a let down.

And although not daily drivers and kiss bosses ass to get one for a night:

E46 M3 Man Coupe. Tit/Black.
Wonderful, and thanks god, no SMG.

E91 Z4M Interlagos/Black
Hate the stupid carbon look leather trim. But HELLO, that engine again in an ever more beautiful Z4. E46 M3 better though.

E64 650i Sport Auto. Stratus Grey/Black.
Real world grunt, Gearbox made sense but would've had more fun in a manual, horrible coulour but fantastically effortless power, feels chunkier than V10 MPower, no effort required. Posing a go go but didn't like driving position, the fact that it was group tested against 997 Cab (at least the 645i was) was stupid.

E65 750i Sport/E66 730ld Sport/E66 760i.
Amasingly similar, the diesel is impressive, fast quiet.
The 750i felt fastest but it makes the best noise and I probably had most oppurtunity to give it the beans.
760i, unltra smooth, feels less torquey than 750i (but it was a 2 year old) but flashed it's traction control light at 90mph in kickdown. cool. Felt like someone's driver the whole time I was driving them, rubbish.

In the BMWs driving to Brighton always seemed to take longer, nobody wants to let you go at junctions.

Buy the MINI if you are doing any miles.

3.2 Carrera of that age will have the less preferred gearbox, I've driven a 3.2 with the G50 gearbox and that was great but I don't know what the older one feels like, it might be alright.

Go for the 911.