Personally, there is no way I’d buy a car (or choose a date) on Craigslist. Unless you’re buying a classic, there are just too many possible pitfalls, including the car not having been properly represented, the car having been in an accident and not properly repaired, the car having been flood damaged and then retitled (called “title washing”), and even the car having been stolen and having a bogus title.
Can’t you find something in that price range locally?