How much BMW can $20,000 buy? , and you resourceful lot answered in a resounding "A hell of a lot." With selections like these, you'd be crazy not to at least consider these gems in your search for your own ultimate driving machine.

This thing is so damn cool that I don't even care that it's not on eBay. This guy took a clapped-out BMW 320i, gave it a major overhaul in the form of an S52 3.2 liter engine from an E36, with the matching manual 5-speed, in addition to . Since the , there's plenty of room left in the budget for more go-fast bits. Did someone say turbo?

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9. E46 M3

This model is near and dear to my heart (and wallet) because I just bought and sold one, which I'll be writing about soon. If you want a yardstick to measure performance, look no further. . A great value for your BMW buck.

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8. E38 750iL

I'm not ashamed to say that I'm a huge fan of giant German luxo-liners. That's why this one was a no brainer. It's the V12, long wheelbase version of arguably the best 7-series ever made. ! What's not to love?

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7. 2000 Tii Neue Klasse Sedan

Wanna make the guy that just bought an E30 M3 jealous? Buy something that c. Also, it's older, which means better. There's no reason not to get it if you're in the market for something truly special.

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6. E39 540i Supercharged Wagon

Here's a , which is a lot like an M5 without sport mode. Now you add the practicality of a wagon and the insanity of a supercharger and you have something is half show, half go, and 100 percent pretty cool. It doesn't have a manual transmission, but then again, neither does the space shuttle, and that thing is still awesome.

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5. 135i

. I'll let explain:

Was looking for a 128i for the added reliability and cheapness but couldn't find one in a manual...so...135i, manual, 79,000 miles, $16,500. Pretty good way to get into 300HP, turbo, I6, RWD, sporty little coupe. I saw auto 128i's with lower miles going listed for like $13,000. Buying used, non CPO, cheap, from Ebay I would be inclined to go 128i because more reliable potentially, cheaper, less high strung, and still a fun I6 BMW.

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4. Isetta 300

Are you the kind of proto-hipster that complains about corporate greed but buys his daily Starbucks indulgences using Apple Pay and needs a car that represents this cognitive dissonance? Are you an up-and-coming traveling circus clown that just isn't being taken seriously? Are you a professional Steve Urkel impersonator? Well, !

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3. Z3M Clown Shoe

If you . Its proportions are crazy, the performance is surprising, and the whole car just works on a dimension that proves that Germans do in fact have an amazing sense of humor.

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2. E39 M5

It's illegal to write BMW "best of" lists without including this amazing car. I owned one for a short while and quickly understood that this car was the one that set the bar for driving experiences. . It's a definite keeper.

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1. E36 M3

This one surprised me, as this car isn't the most loved of BMW's used lineup, and it's well below the budget. , while having an amazingly responsive chassis and lots of room for modification. It's the best starter BMW, since it's easy to repair, the parts don't cost the life of your first born, and it's quintessentially German, so build quality will be on-par with anything new today, and pretty much every E36 M3 in existence is under the $20k mark, so the sky is the limit.

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