The problem isn't that the manual is bad on the X3. In fact, it's an excellent manual transmission. It's just that (as with most BMWs) in the US, too many people are too lazy to learn a proper stick and buy an automatic. Plus, the AT became a no-cost option, providing yet another incentive for people to order the slushbox.

I highly recommend searching CPO inventories and looking around. They're not impossible to find (like it is on the X5). Once in awhile, a manual pops up in CPO at my dealer although there aren't any at this moment.