@JasonMason - So you reckon Corolla over Focus or Astra? Not that you need to justify it to me, but out of interest, why? Ive driven all three at various times and the latest Corolla I drove (2008) was horrible from a driving perspective. I always thought the Astras drove well. Not exciting, but felt solid on the road. I spent a bit over 2 years driving various Astra's all day every day. The Focus, for me, was always the pick of the bunch in that category. From purely a driving perspective. The steering always seemed sharper, and they just felt more composed on the road. Admittedly Im talking about English roads which are rubbish compared to what we drive on here in Perth.
Corolla's are boring to drive yes but they are bullet proof.
Back in the day we always seem to have had issues with the Opel based Astra.
Never had much to do with the Focus but, like the Astra, its Euro based (IIRC).