Tungsten 4P

Go with a 4-person for two people (you + a 4 year old). A 6-person is overkill for your setup and harder to set up solo. The extra floor space sounds nice in theory but you'll just end up with a bigger tent that's heavier, takes longer to pitch, and catches more wind. The Marmot Tungsten 4P is solid at your budget. Good rain fly, freestanding, and one person can set it up in about 10 minutes. It handles northeast rain well. The vestibule gives you somewhere to stash muddy boots and gear without bringing it inside. The Mountainsmith Conifer 5 is decent but it's a cabin-style tent, which means vertical walls that act like sails in wind. For spring/fall in NY/PA/New England where you'll get storms rolling through, a dome or semi-dome design is going to be more stable. At $300 also look at the Kelty Wireless 4. Easy color-coded setup, good ventilation, and the stargazing fly is fun for a kid. Skip Coleman. You're not wrong there. The build quality just isn't comparable at any price point.

I had the same concern. We own a big 6p tent for family camping (and I still use solo for summer camp) but it's obnoxious for a weekend. I got a Marmot tungsten 4p for myself on weekends. It's theoretically light enough to use backpacking, particularly if you share it, and it's reasonable in size for car camping for the weekend. Good tent, spacious, nice vestibules.

Marmot makes a good tent. I just camped in one for 5 weeks and in some serious storms. No problem.

I like backpacking tents as car camping tents because they’re so much easier to set up as a petite lady by myself. Currently rocking a 4P (Marmot Tungsten) so plenty of space and luxury still. https://preview.redd.it/u14l5vwbk27h1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=697f9a630d9d9498a7bd7ba2cd79b97cf53f0368 Pictured:3P version of the Tungsten

nah man i'd go with something middle ground between coleman and those expensive ones you mentioned. used to work security at campsites and seen plenty coleman tents getting destroyed after one windy night, especially the cheaper models for 3-4 times per year the marmot or north face might be overkill but coleman skydome is asking for trouble if weather gets rough. maybe look at REI co-op or kelty - they make decent tents in 200-300 range that won't fall apart but won't break the bank either my dog and i camp probably 6-8 times a year and learned the hard way that going too cheap on shelter is never worth it when you're sitting in puddle at 3am