The seller of today’s BMW X3 claims its manual gearbox makes it as “rare as Porsche Cayenne.” Considering it’s being offered in Southern California where every third car seems to be a Cayenne, that might not be the best description. Its price, however, might be well informed.

Automakers sure do like naming their cars after birds. And not just real birds, either, they also leverage bird names from mythology and when those run out, from marketing. The we considered last Friday sounds like one of the latter — a made-up bird name — but is, in fact, the name of a real model of bird, a member of the family of Nectariniidae that includes Sunbirds and Spiderhunters. Our Pontiac Sunbird was the real deal too, featuring decent specs and a convertible roof, just in time for summer fun. Most of you thought its $4,500 asking to be a real deal too, as that earned the car a solid 60 percent Nice Price win.

It’s been said that birds of a feather flock together. Contrastingly, another old saw is that opposites attract. When it comes to the vast number of products offered by Germany’s BMW, I think both are true. First off, all of BMW’s cars and trucks feel like BMWs. The company’s ethos of being “The Ultimate Driving Machine” is evident in all its products, no matter what category they occupy. That’s perhaps engendered by a secondary ethos of leveraging the best parts of certain models to imbue that passion in others. That’s how we get vehicles like this which takes a lot of the best bits from its kissing cousin the 330i to make it one engaging SUV.

The major parts stolen from the 3 Series include the sublimely smooth M54 DOHC straight six and a six-speed manual gearbox. A good bit of 3 Series DNA went into the X3’s suspension design too, so it really is a family affair even if the 3 Series and X3 inhabit totally different segments of the automotive market. See? Opposites attracting.

Here in the X3, the 3.0-liter six makes 228 horsepower and 221 lb-ft of torque. The six-speed matched to that gets an extra sporty M-series shift knob, but the rest of the interior is standard, lacking any sort of sport wheel or extra-grippy seats. That’s ok though, since what is here all looks to be in very decent condition, including a full pixel count on the instrument cluster’s digital display. Above the orderly cabin sits a panoramic moonroof, so big that the roof rack’s forward crossbar can be reached through it in perfect placement for impromptu chin-ups, should the need arise.

With just 126,000 miles on the clock, the exterior seemingly hasn’t had much of a chance to have been banged up either. There is one noticeable dent on the driver’s door, but it otherwise all looks clean right down to the handsome factory alloys. A trailer hitch under the rear bumper serves as a mounting point for what looks to be either a bike rack or an attempt to fend off tailgaters. That’s most likely removable and hence not a permanent risk for backing-up accidents.

According to the ad, the wagon comes with full-service records, all its manuals, and both original keys. It’s never been smoked in, by either people or pets and has an accident-free history. A clean title and newish Yokohama tires might just seal the deal on this Bimmer tall wagon. That is, of course, if we can get past its $11,900 asking price.

What’s your take on the idea of a three-pedal X3 at that kind of money? Does that feel like a good deal for the car as it’s described? Or, in this case, does X not mark the spot?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, , or go if the ad disappears.

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