Having just sold my '96 318is i'm looking at buying something a few years more recent. 2001 models fit my budget nicely, either the BMW320 or Audi A4 2.0MU, the A4 1.8T seems to be priced several thousand $$ higher than the other two...? at least where i live in New Zealand.
i've never driven an audi before but i'm guessing the 320 would have noticeably more horsepower than the 2.0MU...? all i really want in terms of power is something with as much pull as my 318is, around
140bhp, not huge but it was noticeably faster than a 318i of that era. after that i'll decide based on fuel consumption and looks :)