What is the best car for me?

I need a new car badly... I have been driving this 2000 Altima which is a nice car but not designed for my needs what so ever. I am a snowboard instructor, I drive in a lot of snow and have to make it to work and over snowy pes(so i'd like a 4wd). I am also broke most of the time, so good mpg and reliability is a must. I'd like to be able to friends as well dirty stuff(boots, pallets, snowboards) in my car. I also do a lot of crazy long haul driving from CA to MA or CA to Alaska having a car i can sleep in comfortably is a plus. I was thinking an outback for a long time and then a VW vanagon but now a 1997 toyota tacoma extended cab has come my way with 115k ($4000)is this a good deal? Is there a better car out there for me I don't know about??