First time buyer of a used vehicle. Looking for one, and seeking for advice.

Hello everyone.

There was a point in my life where I was single without a family. During that time I was fortunate enough to purchase new vehicles, 1999 Toyota Corolla, and in 2009 once again another Toyota Corolla. Lucky for me during both purchases I had my finances under control, and I paid off both cars in full upfront. I yearn for those days....

Fast forward now to 2018, I'm now happily married and a father of 3 young children. Out of necessity I had no choice but to purchase a minivan, and once again I was still fortunate enough to payoff everything upfront, but barely.

I still have my 2009 Corolla for my day to day driving, but it's running on fumes. I'll be lucky if it can last me to the end of the year. Warning lights all over, and I'm worried that the car will die each time I drive it even if it's just a measly 10-20 minutes for my daily commute to/from my home to the TTC station.

I'm sorry that I put you through my SOB story, but I'm in desperate need for a used car. I'm not looking for anything fancy. Just something reliable that can get just me alone from point A to B for the next little while. And what I really mean is a small used vehicle that I can drive on weekdays for another 2 years or so. I've never purchased a used car before so I'm really in the dark here. Is there any advice you can give me on what to look for, and what to avoid? I don't have much money to spend, $2500 is my price range. Once again I don't want to sound desperate, but I'm really looking for some help here because I'm not in the greatest situation financially, and I also have some health concerns develop in the past month that is really stressing me out.

Thanks in advance everyone for your time, and appreciate any advice or help you can contribute.