Ideas for a smallish vehicle that can squish 6 (however that may look) when necessary

[Usehername123]

I'm from a freezing Canadian city, and am living in Arizona for 7 years of grad school. My kind parents are willing to give me $5000 towards a vehicle if I buy something big enough to squish all six of us when they occasionally fly to come visit.

Without this offer, I'd probably be looking for something small and good on gas. But for a grad student, that's a lot of money for a better vehicle that will last a lot longer.

Alternative: they sell me their 2007 Ford Escape XLT V6 for an awesome price. This is initially affordable, but the SUV has pretty crappy mileage. PLUS it's in kilometres and would need the dash switched to miles (I'm told this is expensive). After 7 years would this guzzler still be worth the deal? I wouldn't be driving daily, though, since I'll take the bus to campus regardless.


Any thoughts about what I should prioritize? Any thoughts on what I should check out? Any thoughts in general?