how about a 240i ? And yea most tracks wont allow a vert on.
Going through same thing I did 1.5 years ago. Had to be stick, min 6 or 8cyl (the 230 simply wasnt enough, although ONE R&T article is the bible to argue that
) , just too many Mustangs/Camaros/Challengers in my area. I'd probably go Stanf in NA, drove one, pretty nice ride and decent price. Hell you might be close on new Z coming out soon, probably $45K, if you can get one.
I haven't done a ton of work on my 235i, but not too tough to work on.
Good luck