Know something about car makes/models?

This is for real life rather than for story research...I'm sorry. I'm just reaching the end of my rope.

On Wednesday, my husband was in a wreck. He was doing 70, which was the posted speed limit, on a two-lane highway. To his right was a guardrail and a steep drop-off over a dried-up creek; up ahead was the crest of a hill.

An oncoming vehicle crested that hill in his lane while attempting to pass another vehicle...in other words, he faced two oncoming vehicles at 70+ miles per hour with nowhere to go. He pulled hard to the right, ran alongside the guardrail and ultimately left the road. He went down the steep incline, hit a tree at angle, was spun, and slammed his driver's-side door into a telephone pole.

He's going to be okay, although things have been scary. The truck he was in--our only transportation--is totaled. No airbags went off, and his head knocked out the driver's side window. We carried only liability insurance, and no other drivers stopped.

SOOOO... my family of five needs a new vehicle, and now. Two days ago would have been nice. But we don't know much about cars. I've spent I don't know how many hours on Kelly Blue Book and Edmunds doing research, but I'm just lost. Every time I think I've found something, there's a flaw in it I just can't compromise on. To make matters worse, we can only afford to spend around 8k on this vehicle, so it has to be used but reliable. Here's what I need:

* Seats at least 5. That's me, my husband, and our three kids, so it's non-negotiable.
* Plenty of head/leg room for the driver. My husband is 6'8", is our primary driver, and suffers neck/back issues when the car is too small.
* High safety rating--and preferably side air bags. We've been picking glass out of my husband's scalp and hair and it's traumatic.
* Decent gas mileage. We drive a LOT, because we live in the middle of nowhere. It's almost all highway driving, though.
* Under ten thousand dollars...closer to 7-8 is better.
* Relatively reliable and/or cheap to repair.

I'm sorry if this wasn't the best place to post this. Mods, feel free to move it. I'm really not "with it" right now.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone. I'll look into those models.

I think the problem I'm having is really basic--I need a lot of room AND want good gas mileage.

I just don't think I can handle 20 mpg...

Our truck was a Ford F150 extended cab. It seated 6, which was nice because we could all ride in it and still have room for a passenger. The cab was big enough--barely--for my husband, if he scooted his seat back and leaned it back. It was also good for toting trailers and moving hay.

At this point, my mom and his dad each have a nice truck we can borrow if we need to move hay. I was hoping to find something that would fit all of us comfortably, be a little safer, and get better gas mileage.

Looking at the Subaru Forester led me to the Hyundai Santa Fe and the Toyota RAV4, both of which seem to have everything I'm looking for, and there's a chance I could find the 2008 models in my price range.

Of course, I won't know if my super tall (and still alive! Thank goodness) husband will fit in them comfortably until we actually try them out, and there's so much chance involved with finding a good used car. We may not be able to go car shopping for a week or two at this rate...but I'd really like to have several potential makes/models in line when we do.

Thanks again, everyone.