To high mileage cars, you'd better get a manual transmission car if you know how to drive it. Becuase automatic transmission is more delicate than manual ones and expensive to fix if it's broken. The car from dealer always look clean and nice because they shampooed the car to get a better deal.
If you want to buy a car in that price range, you'd better find some private sale. If you get a car valued $3000 from a dealer, you need to pay 15% tax, and among the $3000, dealer needs at least 300 to 500 profit, so you payed about $1000 extra. If you find a private seller, you may get it much cheaper.
Good luck
