I'd be similarly inclined toward the D7000. The D3x00 and D5x00 families both fall into Nikon's low end lineup, meaning they all lack two control wheels, internal focus motor, and flash commander.
I started with a D90 (recently moving to a D7100), narrowly overcoming a D5000 only because Jessops wouldn't price match - but the staffer did point out a few used places I could try, leading me to
MPB and a lightly used D90 for very little more.
And I'm very pleased I did. ^_^ In particular, I suspect I'd really not get along well with a single control wheel. My main focus is wildlife, and being able to nimbly hop around with aperture and shutter speed depending on the sun/cloud of minute, and the distance of my subjects, has proven very useful indeed. Being able to use lenses without internal focus motors has also come in useful, though as unplugged notes, that's less of a compelling reason on its own.
Indeed, you might also want to consider a used D90. The low light performance isn't much below even the D7100, and whilst its focus system is older (fewer points, less sensitive), it remains a cracking camera - and used, it can be found for quite palatable prices now, with a few at £300 at
MPB, and less still on the classifieds here. Less spent on the body = more for the lenses!
