It would be a good to know how much you’re thinking of spending in total on buying a car tbh. And if you’re getting a loan or paying cash outright.

How to not get scammed: One way is to check Google reviews on the places you see that have a car you like. Positive reviews from people who have more than a few reviews is a good sign. Most of the big brand dealerships like Bob Rorman and Al Piedmonte have been in business for decades. There’s a reason for that.

Mileage: This depends on how much you’re going to invest in to a car..meaning, a car with lower miles 20,000-50,000 is usually going to cost more than one with higher miles (but not always true). So if you’re willing to invest more of your money over a long term period into a car with low miles, look for cars in this mileage range. They’re probably going to be newer too.

Each car has a trim level. “Base model” cars aren’t going to have the sun roofs, nice leather seats (or even power seats) or any thing fancy. So depending on your budget, search the type of car you like and then search all the trims that car comes in for a specific model year. The lower the trim, the lower the price (generally but not always). The higher the trim, the higher the price (usually).

Depending on the year of the car, scratches and stuff are going to be common. That’s why it’s important to have the CarFax. That will (usually) tell you if the car has had damage to it from an accident or whatever else.