Replying to Buying a Car off Craigslist

I am looking to buy a car early this summer, and craigslist seems to be the best place for what I'm looking for. I know CL can be pretty sketchy sometimes so I was wondering what you guys do for meeting the seller, checking out the car, papers and reg, etc. I am looking for a 2g Eclipse GSX under $5k, which can have some pretty serious problems like crankwalk. I obviously don't want to buy a lemon because I don't want to throw money at it. I would love to hear any craigslist experiences you've had.