I'm looking for a new car. I live in the country and whilst my current mileage is around 1000 miles per month I'm expecting it to drop to around 500 per month when I move house in a few weeks, and will be across the road from my daughter's school rather than 15 miles away from it. The village I am moving to does get affected by snow much more than where I am now, so a 4-wheel drive may be a good idea, but is not essential. I have a 5-year-old daughter, so safety is high on my agenda and she likes to sit in the front, so I either need a car without a passenger air bag or one that can be switched off.

I've always had a strange hankering for a Land Rover Defender, so this may be the perfect excuse to pick up an old one, but I have no idea how reliable or practical they are. Finally, most of my motoring is local driving with the odd trip to visit my family, most of whom are about 150 miles away. Any suggestions you can make for a cheap (up to £10,000 or £12,000), reliable vehicle would be most welcome, along with some advice about whether it is worth buying an older, work-horse vehicle or whether to get something new with a five-year warranty.