Thinking About Cars.

I need a new car.  Not a NEW new car just a new to me new car.  Or maybe just a new gearbox for my blue car.   I dunno what to do.  Whaaaa...

I have a blue car, Hyundai Excell, automatic, '99model.  It was bought quite a few years ago when it was only 4 years old.  That's the newest car that I have ever had.  I had nothing but trouble with it for the first 2 years and had to spend a lot of money to get it working properly but it's been a good car since.  The paint is faded and peeling but I thought I'd have it for a few more years.

And I have an old van.    I bought an old van Dec 2012.   Close to 20 years old now.  It was cheap but suited what I wanted it for at the time.  It still goes well but has issues that mean that it will soon need to be shot.  Or retired anyway.   I have been saving since I got the van, to buy a bigger and better one if I decided that I liked camping in it.   I do, I haven't done enough but this year was going to be the year I did more.   I have been trying to decide what sort to get, thinking I'll get the next one sometime this year. 


But at 10 to 8 on Saturday morning I reversed the blue car out of driveway to go pick up daughter for a day trip to Collie.  Drove a few metres then remembered something and put it in reverse to go back into the driveway.  What!  It wont move.  Put it into drive to get off the road and it sounds *funny* so I get off the road and park up.  Ring daughter, ring RAC.  I'm told he should be there within the hour so daughter and I decide to leave in her car as soon as he has been.  Nearly 2 hours later he has been and gone and we leave.  I'm a bit cranky though because he said that the car was no good, the gearbox was gone.  BIG dollars to fix and probably not worth the money.  *Apparently* any car over 10 years old nowadays is not worth fixing?  That doesn't sound right to me but it's what I have been told by a couple of car people.

So now what do I do?  The van is set up as a camper and only has 2 front seats.  Not suitable for what I mostly use a car for.  I need something with back seats as I sometimes have kids and other people in it.  So...Do I forgo buying a new van and get a family car.  Do I get a bigger van that has back seats and can be used as both?  Do I get a small 4x4 that I could use as a family car and that I could sleep in but it wont be set up as a camper?

Husband is away for a few more days so I can't even talk to him about it.  When he gets home it will be Easter weekend and I won't want to go car hunting then.  Then he will be back at work.  I have been looking on Gumtree and there are so many different types of vehicles.  One minute I want this sort then I want that sort but that one looks pretty cool.   I need to give it all some serious thought.

What would you do?  And why?  I'm after ideas so I have lots of information to make the choosing easier.