I had a great experience at Carmax.

Good to get an idea of what you want in advance, but also good to have an open mind to what is on the lot. When I went to Carmax, I was looking for a Honda. I did not buy a Honda, I bought something totally different, because there was a car I really liked the looks of and we discovered it had only like 3k miles on it.

I would look at used Hondas + Toyotas.

These brands tend to be well-built, solid and longer lasting than their domestic counterparts imo.

Here is a good car website that you can adjust on make, model, price, miles, age, etc.

https://penfed.truecar.com/

Apparently Facebook is a common platform? We are preparing to sell two older cars in your price range and Facebook was recommended as the best platform by friends who have recently sold cars.
I agree private sale is tougher - but I think in the sub $7k price point it might be the only way. Case in point- one of our cars is currently selling for $8-$12k at dealerships; we got an offer from a dealer of $4.5k. They are clearly going to mark that up by $4k to flip it. A private sale would be better for buyer and seller in that case

I've bought my last two vehicles locally after finding them on cargurus.com

I have an above average appreciation for 1990s beater cars. They're often reliable. You can get a reliable sedan for under $5k.

Just use yourmechanic to book a pre-purchase inspection before you buy.

Find them on Craigslist within x miles of your zip with under 100k miles and clean title.

The thing is, private sales take more work. You have to meet in a trusted spot, inspect the car or take it to a local mechanic, then get a cashiers check or something to pay the person and get the title, then go to the dmv.

For ease, I recommend going to carmax. You will at least know the out the door price immediately. Also they will help you if you need financing.

Yes you will pay slightly more. But it cuts out a lot of the above steps.

Also, I think going below $10k for a car doesn’t get yiu some of the latest safety features. Here’s a good list of highly ranked used cars.

https://www.iihs.org/ratings/safe-vehicles-for-teens

My family is in need of a car. This would be only for short, local drives. Doesn’t need to be anything fancy (would prefer it not be). Ideally something we could just pay cash for — can you get anything these days for like 5 to 7k?

I am not a “car person.” I want something safe, but otherwise as cheap as possible to get me from point A to B. I feel like a dealership will mark things up, but am not sure where to find a private sale.