I paid 29705 for my 01 with 16,400 miles. Probably overpaid, but the car is nice
Holy crap that's some low miles! Well done! The ultra-low mileage cars are getting fewer and further between, so I wouldn't feel bad about what you paid. Not at all. A car listed on this forum with 50K-ish miles recently sold for more than that.
I'd suggest to the OP that depending on condition that the car is worth in the low to mid teens. That's pretty low mileage for a 2000, and if it's got good service history and is in good condition, be prepared to pay for it (but it would be money well spent).
There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for not getting a PPI. Case in point: I am, at this moment, buying an ultra-low mileage car like bhoffma1 did, but even so, I still spent $200 on the PPI. Any problems found? Of course, but nothing major. Piece of mind? Priceless.
With the SRS light on, that should be a strong negotiating tool. "Oh yes sir, I think $xx is a fair price for the car, but that air bag thing could cost me as much as $2000. So let's compromise; lower the price by $1500 and we got a deal!" Something like that.
Obviously they've already decided that it's too expensive to fix and don't want to put the money into the car, so you've got to wonder what else they have not bothered to fix. Hate to pee on your parade, but that's even more reason for a thorough PPI.