Well, the plus and minus of having a two-wheel-drive X3 is: why are you buying an X3 if it has two-wheel drive? If you need an SUV, surely it should have all-wheel drive?  If not, you’re much better off in a more affordable, and more fuel efficient 5 Series or 3 Series Touring. As for the manual/auto question, we’d go with auto in this case. That eight-speed automatic gearbox actually pulls the X3's CO₂ emissions down a little, and it’ll definitely help you sell the car on again as buyers in the premium sphere are increasingly looking for autos.