Just find one that has been taken care of. You don't want to replace everything on the car. The main thing is don't buy a rag. High mileage is great if the current owner replaced stuff when it broke. You get a major discount and an engine that will go another 150K miles.

Buying a low mileage car is not a good idea if the problem areas have not been taken care of e.g. if the wiring harnesses, AC, head gasket, tends to go at around 100K miles and you buy it at 90K and this stuff hasn't been fixed you are going to be stuck with an overpriced car and a hefty repair bill. Buy a well maintained high mileage car with a good repair history. Also don't discount small items such as sagging headliner, worn seats, and cracked wood. You probably will never fix these unless you develop a good plan and if you do it is going to cost more than you might imagine. That is often the advantage of buying a low mileage car, all that stuff is in good shape. If you still opt to go with a car that is mechanically sound but has a few rough edges regarding the interior/paint create a list when you get the car and allocate funds and time to those items. Otherwise unless you have more time and dedication than most they will never get done. Also many of these parts can be found at junk yards so that can cut down on the cost but still not the time issue.

LK