I concur about the Corolla being roomier than the Contour. I traded a 1999 SE Sport with a Duratec for a fully loaded '05 Corolla LE, and I can personally attest to the fact that the Corolla has a bigger interior in almost every dimension. The trunk in a Corolla is huge also, more useful space than in a Contour.
I don't regret my decision one bit. My Corolla has several nicities the Contour didn't, however, my Corolla is atypical. Mine cost almost 20k, whereas the average Corolla sells for between 16k and 17k. All those extras like 15" Alloys, ABS, Sunroof, Cruise, Power windows, locks, mirrors, keyless, 6 disc in-dash CD, etc. really increased the price, but they make it a really nice economy car. It consistantly gets 38mpg highway, 29 city. I'd replace it with another before I'd buy a Focus.
