Hi Luke42_02 - we just purchased our 16 this past weekend from a craigslist post* after a search that took months with many passes on the boats offered. All I can say is be patient but also be ready to act fast for the right boat because those go fast. We missed at least three good deals before we got ours but ended up the better for it so do not get discouraged either.
Also check out non-craigs list places like this forum
http://www.hobiecat.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=7.
Also research some of the prices and conditions of the boats from past listings here and
http://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats99hobie16.htmland watch for new listings here
http://www.sailingtexas.com/cboats.htmlSome of these may be closer; of course distance is all relative in the Big Star state.
Other than that check around this forum - in addition to the replies above in your post there has been a lot of good advice on what to look for from folks with a lot of experience. I know it helped me.
Always confirm the year - seems like of lot of listings (as you already learned) have the wrong model year.
* Use this search aggregator with the "within
N miles" search function for a much easier way to cruise craigs list in multiple areas at once.
http://www.searchtempest.com/