Looking for a new car

[turbo2nr]

well as some may know my s14 was totaled. so rather then start again now with another s14 i will take this chance to try another chassis.

budget is <25k. (ill be financing another car)

must be RWD and under 3500lbs, 2 or 4 door is ok, doesn't matter what manufacture from us-german-jap. must be 04 or better.

not looking to build a crazy car ill come back to she s-chassis for that, im looking for a fun reliable car that is low maintenance, car must have character tho.. alot of the newer cars lack character and road presence that what sucks, they just get lost in the crowd.. also i wont have time to be under the car as much as i used to because im starting grad school, so i cant really do a project, just looking for a car to do small mods to get maximum gains.

my two choices are e46 m3 or 04+ 350z.

m3 pros- adult car, well built, very well put together,well balanced, no to common, high resale value
m3 cons- expensive to own/maintain, aftermarket is expensive, minimal gains from n/a mods,

350z-pros- cheap to own, big aftermarket, good platform, good motor, takes well to mods, can hit almost 300whp n/a, and turbo charger can be had for ~5k.
350z-cons- less of a adult car, 2seater, now as well put together, less resale value, more common, less safe.

so thats where i am, give me some insight, i figure id post here to get a less bias answer rather then post on a m3 or 350z forum..