Can get the Mazda 3 high spec for RM120k? One of my colleague just bought this car. Only RM1k discount, so it is RM124k but he got a cash ang pow as a freebie. Few hundred bucks. Having said that, RM139k for the high-spec Focus won't sell in buckets though I'd expect the price to drop rather drastically by year end.

Mazda 3 is a nice car inside out, arguably nicer than the Ford Focus, but in terms of handling, no matter how good it is, it will still lose out to the Focus. In the end, it depends on what the owner wants. By the way, is your Mazda 3's tyres noisy? My colleague commented that the Yokohama stock tyres are very noisy, and there is rattling sound from the dashboard for a 1-day old car.

No wonder it is RM120k. Nobody will base on the reduction in insurance when quoting a price of the car. Anyway if you prefer to do so to give the impression of a lower price, then fine. Having said that, even after NCD deduction it will come up to about RM122k+/- assuming the 124k without insurance.

Good point that you bring up TRACK RACER. In summary it is all relative. I do know the Mazda 3's handling is the best out of the other Japanese in the same segment such as Altis, Civic, Nissan etc. It is the same thing that the Altis or Nissan driver will say when one promotes the good handling/performance/stability of the Mazda 3 or that the Mazda 3 feels very stable at 160 km/h relative to the floaty feeling of other Japanese cars. The argument of "Why the need of driving so fast like a race track driver, my Proton Saga is also very stable up to 180km/h compared to your 160km/h on your Mazda3/Ford Focus etc." and all sorts of opinions.

Another point that I want to highlight is you don't need be a fast and furious race track driver to appreciate cars with better handling, although driving at higher speeds (with these better handling cars) will show the difference at a greater magnitude. Even if one drives the car at moderate speeds, you will feel the difference between a lesser car and a better car as in how the car behaves on the road, the steering feel and suspension. There is no need to push the car as if it is in a race in the Sepang race track circuit to appreciate the handling of a car. Most often we see "lesser cars" such as Myvis or Sagas etc. at incredible speeds when on the straights or tackling a corner, much faster than better handling cars. But that does not mean the handling of these cars are better just because the vehicles are fast. It is just that the driver in these cars chose to drive fast. That's all.

One thing that I agree is on your last paragraph, spot on. The Mazda 3 is surely value for money for all the specs given for the high-spec model. My colleague cannot stop telling me all the safety features of the car such as lane departure and stuff, features that can only be found in costlier high-end cars. In this sense, the Mazda 3 is surely value for money when compared to the overpriced Toyota and Honda (and Ford Focus at the moment). But as I have said, by year end there will likely be huge discount for Ford models, maybe RM5k to RM10k if not more. The 139k price tag seems steep at the moment to me, but there will be some people who are surely into the car who do not mind paying the premium.