[V8] car searching

[diemarthadie at aol.com]

So I find myself in need of a new family hauler.? I'm pondering the bazillion possibilities and trying to decide what makes the most reasonable sense (yes I know Honda Accords make sense, but then so do V8Qs after a couple of beers).? I've decided to enlist you as my assistants in the search since I can't make up my mind...? Here's the scenario:



* You have $4000 to spend on a car.



* You do not want a car payment so no more than $4000 total.? 



* It is possible that you will need to spend some small additional amount state inspecting the car if it needs it.



* You need the car to be a wagon or large enough hatchback to haul 5 people (3 are little kids) with bikes (3 fit on the tail rack, 2 probably on roof)



* 3 kids haul a lot of supplies even just to the store, and these kids might be camping and stuff so too small a cargo area is a no go.



* 3 kids can trash an interior faster than rabid monkeys so ideally the car would be fully tiled inside and have a drain hole for easy hosing ;)



* You do not want a truck, SUV or Minivan.? I will repeat, you do not want a truck, SUV or Minivan.



* AWD is a plus but not a requirement.



* Manual is fine, Automatic is a bit better when the kids are singing and poking each other and generally vying more for your attention that the jacknifing tractor trailer up ahead.



* You are capable of doing reasonable maintenance at home and have owned German, Swedish, Japanese and American cars.? Your tools include more than 'both kinds of screwdriver'.



* You would like said vehicle to survive 3 years and 30,000 miles without exploding or making you homeless.? You are ok with it ending its life in a junkyard in 3 years if it has not made you homeless in the interim.



* You would prefer it came from the era of shoulder belts, despite how cool a Nomad would be as a family car.? Airbags are ok too.



* You would prefer the car was not a POS, rusted out, 300k miles, beater.? Your family will be seen in this car and your neighbors are snobs.



* High mileage with good maintenance does not scare you.? Lack of verifiable service records scares you.



* The dog will be in the car sometimes too... He likes to nose the windows.? 



* You would prefer to get a lot more than 20mpg in any conditions.? Deisel or Unleaded is fine.? Leaded is not ;)



So, given those parameters I've seen all sorts of things, but the common items in that range are Volvo 240/740/960/850/V70/XC, Subaru Legacy/Forester, Ford Taurus/Focus, Honda Accord Wagon, Toyota Camry Wagon, Saturn SW2, older Mercedes 300 Wagon, Oldsmobuicrolet Wagon, Audi A4/A6/200/100 Avants, etc... The Matrix/Vibe looked possible but they lack cargo space when full of kids and current laws keep me from strapping the kids on the roof rack.? I'm still looking for the right car and could use some additional suggestions or info if you have direct experience with any of these models good or bad.? 



In other words, given all of the above parameters, what would YOU buy?



I know Roger would buy an A4 Avant and swap parts with a V8 and such but I don't have THAT much spare time ;)





-John