This is for my sister, who's a landscape gardener.

She needs three seats at least and a covered back, no pickups. It's also her family car, so transit van is no good. She's currently got a Berlingo, which is a real piece of crap. She needs something she can drive long distances too, the Berlingo is rubbish on a motorway.

In my mind I've got the Nissan Pathfinder and the Disco, but not sure at that budget, £7-9k.

Also thought of the Forrester too ....

[Edited on 1/12/09 by Jasper]

VW Transporter crew cab? Something like a T4 with the 2.5 TDI engine is fairly economical and if remapped shifts like a shifty thing!

My sister drivers hers back and forward from the alps..

[Edited on 1/12/09 by tegwin]

I've got a vw touran as a family car, the seat arrangement is great, you can seat a minimum of 2, up to 7, and all the combinations in between. A bit like a transit van (or so i am told regularly) .

And with all the 3 back seats taken out (the 2 rear rear ones fold down), you can fit soooo much in there, and you have got more height then an estate/station-wagon...

Great on motorways, good mpg as well

Mazda Bongo?

Done over 100,000 in my Berlingo, mainly on the motorway, I'd recommend one to anybody who was after a small van.

Double cab pickup with a hardtop? I know you said no pickups because you need a covered load but my dad had one for three years (A Ford Ranger XLT Thunder) and it was just like having a giant estate and you have the benefit of not being able to smell anything in the back. Good spec ones are comfortable too, I went to scotland and back a few times in the Front and in the Back.

Also, as they've gone out of Fashion they're reletively cheap, my dad bought his for about £10,000 (It was recovered so it was cheap at the time) and had to sell it for just over £3,000 (Though that was trade so it would cost abit more to buy one).