How old (big) are your kids?
Best family car we've bought is our 1998 Paul Smith Rover Mini Cooper.
NO KIDDING!
It happily fits the wife and two kids (more passenger room than my old 2005 BMW mini). This was a Surprise to me too.
Everyone from my granny to the Kids love crawling all over it, and always ask for the mini, even ahead of the cobra (I know! DNA tests are pending).
Steering is sharp and nimble. It's SO light, low and exposed it feels like you're racing around just pulling off the traffic lights. Fuel costs next to nothing, parts cost even less. Easy to work on, so I do with kids in tow.
Handles traffic like a rat up a drain pipe (to quote the late Barry Sheene)
Has great racing heritage including Bathurst win.
I reluctantly only agreed to buying a mini as a point of protest against my wife for vetoing a lotus Elise and Porsche 911. I never thought she'd agree, not did I think I'd like it, or that it would grow to become a member of the family. But it has and we love it. I now advocate that every young family needs a mini.
Whatever you end up with, good luck with your hunt and keep us posted, I'm curious.