Credit/Financing & help buying a car

Hello all,

I'm looking at buying a used hybrid. My price range is 5k-9k, so most of the cars I'm seeing are 2003+ Civics and Prius with 80k-150k+ miles on them. Originally I was looking at getting a new Chevy Volt or Prius Plug-in for the CA tax rebate and free HOV lane access, but I don't think all that's worth 15k+ to me..

I have landed on a deal that looks pretty sweet, and now I'm thinking about maximizing my benefit from a deal like this...so here's my financial story:

I have a large amount of money invested in equity (300k+/-). I take a huge capital gains hit if I sell, and I'm not in a position to need a NEW car, so instead I'm paying cash for something cheaper. As a result of making money off dividends, and always having lots of liquid assets, I have no credit. Actually, that's not true - I once applied for a Target red card when I bought my iPhone 4s for additional cash back and I was denied (because I have no credit). That is the only entry on my credit report. So, maybe you can see where this wall of text is going - if at all possible, I want to build some credit here as well. If I can't, that's fine too, but I thought it might be a good opportunity.

All that said, I'd like to show some of the other deals that I've been looking at. Also, I am 100% open to other ideas, leasing a new car, etc etc etc. Throw ideas at me, I've got time and money to play with here to get the best deal I can. I have simply settled mostly on Civic hybrids because they are the most common in the price range I am looking at (and good cars, too).

The most interesting deal I've found: 2004 Civic Hybrid Sedan 4D Manual Trans. 97k miles [livermorehonda.com] = $8k sticker through a dealer. The Carfax is great here. The only issue is the battery - as far as I know it's never been replaced and I believe it's under 8yr/80k warranty, which means it expired about...a couple months ago. A new battery is gonna throw 2-3k on top...but that goes with any used hybrid of this age (save the few ads I could find with a recently replaced battery).

Some other CL ads that have drawn my attention:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/c...66283.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/c...54828.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/c...00450.html
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/c...15070.html

Anyways, I appeal to you, the SD community, to help me make the most of my options.

Thank ye