This is a little late because Its actually an experience I am going through right now and I wanted to have as much information as I can. I have recently hit the point in life where I need to acquire a means of transportation more significant than my own feet, thus my search for an automobile began. A Car will likely be in the top 5 most expensive things a person will ever buy (after a house, college education, etc…) so the sales/purchase process will be one of the most intensive a person will ever experience. To begin my journey here I first spent a few months researching what kind of vehicle I wanted, for me, that would be a small four seater hatchback with good fuel economy, reliability, and serviceability. I also wanted something with cheap parts so that I could save money on any repairs. Along with this I also needed to decide on my budget, as a fellow broke college student, I likely will not be able to spend more than $5,000 on a vehicle, so that needed to go into my calculations. from these required features I quickly found a couple of options, such as the Honda Civic, Toyota Celica, or maybe even a Nissan Z. after looking for available vehicles I have also stumbled upon the 2009 Scion TC, a Toyota-powered hatchback that checks all the boxes of my requirements list. Now that I have found a very appealing option, I must begin interactions with the seller, As a dealership, they will have a lot of information on the vehicle that will be very useful to know, and I will need to contact them to make sure the vehicle is in good condition and ready to use as a daily driver.
trischlerba23 
Jonnojr
I think that your story really highlights the “sellers beware” argument that Pink makes in his book. 20 years ago, people would not have had the resources to do all of the research that you did prior to buying a car. At this point, you are almost just as knowledgeable as the car salesman, and that means that the salesman has to play a different role in helping you. Good job doing your research and making sure you’re spending your money wisely!
When buying a used car i would ask for an inspection from your mechanic that you trust as not having one can make it so that you walk off the lot and have one friend notice issues you could have had fixed. If this is a individual seller and not a lot you can still ask to have a mechanic look at it, if there are problems they let you know so you can negotiate on price.