318ti or 325xi wagon or x3 or Outback. What should I buy

[cjm1219]

Hello to the nicest group of BMW peeps on the web! Hope y'all are doing well. Looking for some opinions. I bet you guys have some.

I am kicking myself for selling my clubsport 2.5 years ago. Mostly cuz they seem to be going up in value and because i could really use that car now. I am back in a job that I commute a lot and am missing my little car.

I have been looking around a bit for the a good car to buy but am not finding anything great. Solid car around $4k, or one not so good to fix up $1.5 to $2K. I did get an 92 318is for cheap a year ago and fixed/cleaned it up and made a good chunk of change selling it on. Not nearly as fun of a car as the TI.

My other option besides finding a cheap 318ti to play with as a second car is to pick up a larger wagon to handle all my needs. 4 door, AWD preferred, Manual, Can tow small trailer. I know some of you have good knowledge of other cars. Looking for an opinion.

325xi. Love the car. Found a wagon with manual, which seem to be quit rare. A little scared of maintenance but not sure if I should be. How much more trouble is a E46 over an E36? I loved working on my E36 and was surprised how easy and relatively affordable it was to work on.

X3. I haven't driven one yet. but they are kinda cheap (some under $10K) and come with a 6 speed manual.

Subaru Outback 2005-2009. Probably the most sensible choice although the head gaskets and other maintenance worries a bit. Will I like figuring out how to be a Subaru mechanic as much as I did being a BMW one? And everyone in the NW has one. Any thing else I should be looking for? Sorry for rambling on.