Welcome to myswag, hope you enjoy the journey. Lot's of good advice and experience here and your budget should get you a quality 2nd hand Aussie Built CT.
I appreciate your story, when our 2 boys were younger and we had the tent set up, it easily took up to 6hrs to pack the gear into the car/trailer, then set everything up after the long drive (good camping spots never close to home). Also hated cleaning up and unpacking when we got home.
Our new Trackie is preloaded with everything we need these days except for fresh food and cold drink, and if the site is level, we can be set up in 20 to 30mins max.
Enjoy your research and journey and most importantly, look past the bling. It's the nuts and bolts that are the most important.