Excellent advice, so far.  Ditto on Preacher's advice re: renting first (or at least spend quality time in one) before buying, Mad Mat's remarks re: considerations that should go into buying, & IC's comment about stability & spray skirts.

If you do a "search" you will find some additional great advice on QJ concerning this topic.

Most of the notions discussed above went through my mind a few years back when I purchased my Prism.  Also, I talked to several other solo paddlers who were about my size & weight and whose paddling preferences were similar to my own.  Once I settled on the Prism, I scoured the end-of-season deals on used canoes offered by many outfitters.  I also looked for outlets specializing in selling "blems" (for example, if you were looking for a Souris River canoe, the Red Rock Store will often offer special deals on blemished models from the factory... often a really nice deal on a brand new canoe).  When I finally secured my new vessel, I took it over to Dan Cooke (of Cooke Custom Sewing) & had him install a spray skirt.  The spray skirt can be a real PIA until you get the hang of it, btw.  It gets easier to put it on with practice, though, and it will give you some peace of mind in cold water season, as IC indicates.

Good luck in your decision-making.

Jimbo   8-)