What Car... Conundrum

My pops has been hounding me for my truck since the day I bought it, and recently made me an offer I couldn't refuse, so I'm on the hunt for a more fun DD
(Truck in question = bone stock 94 Toyota Pickup, 2wd)

Looking for a fairly reliable, fairly gas friendly, fairly fun (handling over speed) car to get me around at least until I find something 'cool.' ... Automatics likely need not apply Trying to stay away from FWD, the local examples (Hondas/VW's) all seem to be 'boring' versions and/or questionably modified

Miata is out since I don't like convertibles/fit too well into them (and it rains all the time here)
Drift tax means no 240/Hachi
MR2 would be cool, but good examples are eluding me
Pondered a BMW but know next to nothing about them. Seems like reliability rests largely on how they've been treated in the past?
80's V8 mustang, but can only seem to find examples from the 90's, mostly without tops. (and yes, not so hot on the gas bill)
A friend is selling a 92 Tracer LTS with low miles (87k) on it, that's my current front runner (pun intended)... lady driven, no accidents, clean bill of health from a mechanic buddy of mine, she's asking $1500 for it.

Possible last option would be sourcing a car from BC, as I'm just south of the border, seems like there's more interesting stuff up there... caveat being that I know nothing about importing a car from outside the states.
(Can you say RHD MR2 Turbo? Heck yes)

Oh wise ones ('having internet access and automotive enthusiasm' will pass for wise here) press upon me your knowledge and hard earned anecdotes of a vehicular nature... and thanks in advance!

I say travel for the right car. I drove 11 hours to fetch my first MR2. Get one from south or west of the rust belt.

RHD MR2 Turbo is most likely not importable as it's not 25 years old yet.

E30/E36 come to mind, there seem to be a bunch of nice E30s for sale up your way from time to time.

Tracer LTS will make a phenomenal DD, except for the E36 M3ty early 90's Ford interior. Good mileage, reliability, low insurance, and super practical.

The E36 BMWs were the 3 series from '92-'98 (with the exception of the '92 convertible, which was an E30). You don't want a neglected example, but the real things to watch out for are the cooling system (anything plastic, especially the radiator end tanks, tends to break) and the rubber suspension parts. They seem to fit your needs pretty well. E30s are the previous generation; before '90 they have an all metal radiator, but '90 and later have the same cooling weak points.

E36's are dirt cheap right now, and fantastic DD's for the price. Matt is right on as to what to look for...

Why not a Porsche 944? Now's a good time to buy them, lots of space, hatchback, good gas mileage, great handling, and I can personally attest to their excellent match for Washington's 2-lane curvy roads.

It is possible to register a RHD car in some states (FL seems to be a hot bed) but every state is different. Like is was stated earlier, technically you can't bring it in unless it's 25 years old. You could try to fly under the radar. I know some guys in various parts of the country that have gotten Japan market GT4 Celica's registered but you always run the risk of getting busted by the Feds if you get caught, even if the state registers the car.

Jav: on paper the 944 is right up my alley, had discounted them due to being non ass-engined... will poke around a bit.
Nitro: Good info, I'm especially uninformed about importing cars that have been available here (albeit in different - hotter - trims, or other sided steering wheels)
Matt/Jansen: Thanks for the tips, as I start to look, it seems like there are more 'verts and higher first-numbered BMW's around... but I've only hit up CL so far.

Taking the Racer (She already removed the 'T' from the badge even!) for an (unsupervised!) test drive tomorrow, we'll see how she feels...
thinking more and more about snagging that as a DD/car to mildly molest and biding my time on a real project.... (refer back to Tyler's comment on travelling for the right car)
I keep forgetting that my new place has a garage!
Thanks for all the input guys! (Feel free to keep it coming)

See if you can find an e28 5 series bmw, more room than e30, avail with 3 pedals still fun to drive and an active network of parts still around. The M5 is still not 25 years old in North America but every other flavor is. And without M5 pieces they are CHEAP to fix. plus they avoid most of the other bmw weak points such as plastic water pump impellers etc that go out at 100k miles. Just a thought, Im not prejudiced or anything (Dont look in my garage :)))

XJR

BMW's still being elusive, while I don't see the appeal of a convertible in this climate, I do see why they are so much easier to find for sale.
:P

Test drove the Tracer today, other than needing a jump from sitting too long, and the gas door not opening (not a huge deal by any means) it seemed peppy and... well, not too awful. Anyone know how hard it is to throw a Limited Slip into one of those?