I say give the X3 a shot at least. I haven't heard of too many complaints (if any at all) with the latest batch of X3s since mid-winter. I drove one back in January with a normally functioning transmission. It's fast and geared really tight (the 6th gear revs the same as the 5th gear in previous X3s), so acceleration is very fast and rapid. If you can live with the pre-facelift models, the older 5AT is still the better automatic gearbox and more reliable.

Of course, if it all goes out the window, then get the manual.