I agree with vipola, but the newest car may not be the best. You can get an older car with low miles, or a newer car with higher miles. I would personally pick older lower miles. But if your only going to keep the car a few years, and just use it on the weekend then higher mileage might be okay for you.
I would avoid a '97, but I wouldn't go higher than maybe 35-40k miles. You need to find the middle ground that works for you.