Go for the 2003! Obviously the folks at bmw know what they are doing, they are not going to make the 2003's with worse performance than the 2002's! I could be wrong but I believe I've seen pics of the new 3 series on bmw's official site, and the tail lights are not like those of the new 7 series, however I do think those look awesome! These opportunities don't come everyday - take it if you can!