My 2007 BMW 328i coupe was my first car, it was an amazing step up from my parents chevy cruze, but not too that I could't handle. Rear wheel drive and a six speed manual made it perfect for twisty back roads and was great on long highway trips as well.
On paper, it isn't too impressive; 230hp and a 0-100km time of 6 seconds is nothing to write home about. But that's not what this car is about. If you want straight line speed, go buy a hellcat, this car is for the guy who wants to have fun.
50/50 weight distribution, hydraulic steering, RWD, a naturally aspirated 3L 6cyl, and of course a proper 6 speed manual. All of this makes this car a real drivers car. Obviously you'll have much more fun in a e46 m3 or Porsche cayman, but I paid under $10k for mine, in my opinion it's one of the best budget drivers cars.
I haven't had any problems with this car, unlike the 335i this car is super reliable, I've seen many examples of cars with over 250000km. As for fuel efficiency; it reflects your driving, if I fill up with my mom in the car and get on the highway I'll get 650-700km of range, easy, but when I get the chance to really drive the range drops to around 400km, which is still good.
The exterior styling is timeless and beautiful. Constantly I get compliments on the styling and shocked faces when I say its 11 years old. The interior is simple, it has all the essentials (power/heated seats, 10 speaker, sunroof, etc, and of course those dumb German cup holders)
In summary this is a perfect first car for anyone that wants fun in a car; I know that if I started with a 400hp car, it would probably be wrecked by now. This car is super fun, and it's one of those cars where I can floor it through a back road knowing that it will stay on the road, and also can't get me into too much trouble. The e92 BMW 328i is great in any situation whether it be a fun car just for the weekend or daily driver, you won't be let down.