EuJax,
Hi there and welcome to the club! My signature should explain everything......
There are several of us here that are e30 nutters and would have no hesitation in helping you on your quest. Try using the search function and you will find a plethora of e30 fact and trivia here.
Personally for me the e30 is a dynamically excellent car for driving enthusiasts. In standard form the e30 chassis offers decent ride and comfort but has excellent build quality. Tweak the chassis and it truly becomes a driver's car but you would have to sacrifice some ride comfort. In short, if you are looking for an involving rear-wheel drive compact sedan with legendary german engineering behind it, look no further.
Buy an e30 and you will own a piece of automotive history, remember, this is the car that introduced the world to the concept of the sports sedan.
On the subject of six cyclinder or four cyclinder, this is an age old debate that will always raise eyebrows amongst BMW enthusiasts......to each his own. BMWs are known for thier incomparable straight six engines, however only a VERY small percentage of race-prepped(excluding F1 ok?) BMWs have used six-cyclinder engines. IMHO, four or six, it is still a BMW.
My 2 cents, meet up with us when you get back and sample some of the rides available....they range from mild to wild! After the experience, I believe it would help you make a decision on what sort of e30 you want.
Cheers!