Opel Corsa or Ford Focus?

I'm thinking of buying a 2002 Opel Corsa 1.2 for €1,800. What are they like? I have also looked at a 2002 Ford Focus Zetec 1.4 and it's not bad for 1,500 Euro. Any advice?

Catherine Costello (Celbridge)

Jul 2013 Filed under: choosing used car

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Expert answer

Hi Catherine,

Of the two, I'd go for the Focus. Bigger, much better to drive and barely any less economical in day-to-day driving. That generation Corsa was pretty crude, really - noisy and not especially nice to drive.

They're both pretty robust though, which is good, although you should check the Focus carefully for underbody rust as some early cars had very poor weather sealing.

Let us know how you get on.

Neil Briscoe - Complete Car Adviser
@neilmbriscoe