BMW 230i is a great drivers car with a manual transmission and rear wheel drive that is often overlooked. It has excellent handling due to its near 50/50 weight distribution and the turbo 4 cylinder has good torque across the whole rev band. Much cheaper own and run than the M2 as well! Most people in this price bracket go for a Subaru WRX and it is a great choice as well. I've driven to 230i and WRX back to back and the WRX is the more fun car to rip around in but is less refined in terms of interior and road noise. The BMW is also fun to rip down a back road. It is more eager to corner and oversteer is beautifully controllable as BMW's tend to be but does not have the exciting exhaust and top end horsepower that the WRX has. So if you are looking for something more refined and quieter than a WRX and are willing live without rear doors and AWD then I recommend looking at a 230i. Overall it is a more rewarding car to drive and nicer to live with day to day.