Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Hey guys im thinking of buying a small 4x4 like a sierra, vitara, Jimny, etc but cant make up my mind as to which car i should get. I'm looking at spending anything up to $7 000 or $8 000. Could any of you shed some light as to which car i should get. I asked a mate and he said its like a tradeoff between comfort and performance.

i would like to take it off road but i dont have experience driving off road (this will be my first car). BUT i will probably mainly use the car to travel to and from uni, etc and would also love to take it off road as much as i can

Sierra's are a lot cheaper to fix when you bust em!