Sorry this is my first time doing anything of this kind and I don't really have help. But ok I'll save up a few more dollars and see what I can find thanks for all the info and if you have any more tips I would be glad to hear them.
No worries. Look for obvious damage, for one. Peeling paint can mean a bad respray (meaning possible accident damage), body damage can mean anything...
Just protect yourself. Always get as much info as you can about these things. Don't settle for their word on things that you can check yourself.
-Check the oil
-Check the coolant and make sure the only colour you see is neon green (or pink, or orange, whichever colour it is), and no dark splotches.
-Make sure not too much smoke coming out of the back.
-Make sure all the lights (headlights, brake lights, turn sigs, etc...) work, the horns, anything electrical.
-Test drive it, make sure it stops well, no weird noises.
If there are mismatched parts, or car doesn't match pics, probably should walk.
And I'm not saying you need to save up some more, just to look a bit higher in price - you should be able to haggle them down into your price range. I'm sure others can perk in with some tips too. Consider something like Carfax or a similar history report if it looks too good to be true!
Good luck.