Observations about your question.

1,The salesman making a statement it's just a suggested selling price I would have fired on the spot, must have been a rookie... His opening line back to you should have been " If I can sell you this vehicle today for $8000. will you buy the vehicle ???... from this point the pro salesperson works on your emotions, and will get the $$$$ wanted for vehicle.

2, You done some homework to find a fair price range " I like that " and yes around the 8K mark is fair value, a top value for this vehicle after an independent inspection and green lights is $8500. tops

3, Noticeable scratches and gouges you can live with vehicle being 8 years old, mechanical problems you may encounter down the road is the only issue in question

4, With taxes on top of your investment, subject to your location, we could be looking at close to 10 grand ?

Summary
Buying a vehicle in that price range that you can drive past 3 years with no major problems, you will have secured your investment

Ray,
I can live with the scratches. Very smooth, quiet ride. You should have seen the look on the salesmans face when I showed him the blue book print out. I think he was taken back a bit, because if I read him right, his response was totally improvised. I do like the car, but will not pay more than 8 for it. If not then it wasn't meant to be. Thanks again Ray.
John