I went to a couple of the local car dealers today but didn't have much luck.

I first went to the local GM dealer and was basically kicked off the lot when I told the salesman my budget. Apparently they don't keep any used cars around.

I then went to the local Ford dealer where I had a much better experience with the salesman. They had some used cars in my price range, but nothing really what I was interested in. The salesman said they were selling the small fuel efficient cars much faster than they could restock their lot.

So... I need to go into Joplin (the nearest semi-large town with lots of used car dealers) and spend a day hitting up all the dealers.

Cheapie car? Look for a 1997ish Acura CL coupe. Love these cars. Basically a premium Honda Accord with leather and climate control.
http://joplin.craigslist.org/ctd/2361164402.html

'97 is a bit older than I'd rather look for. I'm going for something newish so that I won't have to mess with repairs for a loooooong time. Fixing stuff on a DD in the mud in my backyard has gotten old.

Try this: Go to http://www.searchtempest.com/ a Craigslist search engine, enter in the miles you'd be willing to go for a car, enter a price range (you say up to $10k, so enter $9k-10k) and leave the search text blank. Set it to look in cars/truck, set it for dealer or non-dealer (your choice) and just see what things are running for in the area you're willing to buy from. It's a great way to get a feel for what's out there in the price ranges you're looking at.