Getting a car soon but I need some advice?

Before you start listing off Honda civics, accords, prius, etc., etc., please read. So I'm going to be getting my first car soon as a 17 year old guy. However the catch is, I do a lot of landscaping as my job. So a typical 4 door sedan and even small hatchbacks, which do get great gas mileage and are safe, will not work for me. I need something like a SUV or a small truck which I can haul my equipment in but at the same time have a back seat that is not extremely to where people have a hard time sitting there. I understand that gas mileage on any small truck or SUV will be inferior to that of a small car but I'm this case, I need something that can transport things with out the worry of if it will fit. I've looked around at rangers, Tacomas, Xterras, etc. Out of those I like the Tacomas and Xterras the most. However they are some what bad on the not side. Is there anything you all can suggest for around $5000 or less that would be a good option for me? Also please don't suggest a station wagon.

Lots of S-10 s around. You could also get a utility trailer to pull behind a car.

What would you say is the difference between an SUV and a station wagon?

What I did when I was in business doing yard maintenence, was pull a 5X9 enclosed trailer. It was small and light enough that just about any small car or truck could handle it, and being enclosed, I didn't have to worry about my equipment disappearing.

When finished working, just back it into the driveway, lock it up and rest. No loading or unloading.

You're not going to find much of a truck for 5K these days. It'll be pretty well used up.