I would stop what I was doing, right now, and buy that CRV. If that thing is free of structural rust and as well maintained as claimed, it is a bargain. I've owned three of them, so far. They are a boring transportation appliance that is as reliable as an anvil. I've got a good friend who is a mechanic. He has a couple of customers who are rural mail delivery contractors. They use CRVs to do the work, since it's brutal beating on a vehicle every day, and it's one of the few vehicles that can not only get the job done, but not end up needing to be in the shop every few weeks. OTOH, another contractor uses small GM SUVs, and keeps two of them ready to roll, since they rarely go a few weeks without breaking.
IMHO, there are a ton of "cute-utes" out there and two worth buying, the CRV and the RAV4. I know you live in an area where Subarus are worshipped, but when it comes to your budget, A < 6000 Subaru that sounds like a tractor, has a shitty looking and feeling (circa early 1970s Japanese import) plastic interior, and might need $4K in repairs next week (head gaskets and wheel bearings) is best avoided. Not that you have one on your list, but I sure wouldn't go looking for one either. OTOH, a good manual Vibe or Matrix, may be one of the few vehicles running long after the apocalypse. Skip the Fiesta, or any small "domestic" car for that matter. Doesn't matter if it's 20 years old, or three, when it comes to small, Honda and Toyota will always have an exponentially better product that a similar, Ford, GM, or whatever Dodge-Fiat-Chrysler is calling themselves, between bankruptcies.
