Any advice on how much to pay for a used car at a dealership?

Never! buy a used car at a dealership. Buy from individuals, invest in a month subscription to car fax, and when you find what you want, pay your mechanic $200 to check it out if you aren’t qualified.

Expect to pay $5,000 more than you would have 2 years ago. The market is volatile.

Always check the Kelley Blue Book price range, I would link it but DL isn't letting me.

Also, OP, if you belong to a credit union, you can sometimes get the loan value amount prior to going out to seek a specific car. For example, a few years ago, I knew what model car I wanted, and went to get it financed at my credit union. They gave me approval paperwork, I took it with me to the dealer, and said I want ___ car, and I have ___ to spend. Of course, they tried to "go talk to their finance guy and run the numbers to see if they could get me a better deal" which they could not.

There isn’t really much room to bargain today, OP. They can’t keep used vehicles on the lot these days. It’s actually driving overall inflation.

Check out autotrader.com. Also Shift

When I sold my car in 2015 I advertised on craigslist. It worked out fine. Sometimes you can find cars there.

My friends swear by Carvana but I've never used them.

AutoTrader is a good source for used cars not from dealers. They have dealer cars also but you can filter those out.

Will give AutoTrader a try.

I know that this is a terrible time to have to buy (or rent) a car.

Fortunately, I can pay cash so I won't be at the "mercy" of financing through a dealer.

You never have to be at the mercy of financing through a dealership and should always shop around for the best rate if you can't pay cash like the OP.

What R11 said. Don’t EVER finance through the dealership. It gives them all the leverage. And if they say the deal is only good for a day, tell them to pound sand, and then sashay away. It’s amazing that car salesmen have much of the public conned into thinking the Dealer is in control.