MX-5 OC Forum

Morning all,

I'm thinking about buying a mk3.5 sport tech as a daily driver.

Mazda quote the width of the mk3.5 as 1720mm. Does anyone know if this includes the wing mirrors? My garage is very narrow (only 2340mm) and I'm not sure if I can get out of the car after parking in the garage.

Thanks in advance.

Martin.

Ecosseven:

Morning all,

I'm thinking about buying a mk3.5 sport tech as a daily driver.

Mazda quote the width of the mk3.5 as 1720mm. Does anyone know if this includes the wing mirrors? My garage is very narrow (only 2340mm) and I'm not sure if I can get out of the car after parking in the garage.

Thanks in advance.

Martin.

 

 Hi Martin

A quick measurement on my 3.5 show that the mirrors stick out 10 or 11cm from the body line so add 22cm to the 172cm body width.

Richard.

With a convertible you can still get out with the door closed! 

A piece of old carpet on the garage wall is useful so you can push the door against it while struggling to free yourself.

Just a thought Martin but when you say your garage is very narrow, is that measurement (2340mm) the garage it’s self or the garage door opening?

Richard.

coconino:

 

Just a thought Martin but when you say your garage is very narrow, is that measurement (2340mm) the garage it’s self or the garage door opening?

 

Richard.

 

The garage is 2340mm wide. the door is narrower but not by much (about 200 - 250mm I think). My garage is VERY narrow!

Ecosseven:

Morning all,

I'm thinking about buying a mk3.5 sport tech as a daily driver.

Mazda quote the width of the mk3.5 as 1720mm. Does anyone know if this includes the wing mirrors? My garage is very narrow (only 2340mm) and I'm not sure if I can get out of the car after parking in the garage.

Thanks in advance.

Martin.

Hi Martin,

The handbook for our Mk3 quotes "Overall width 1720" which led me to think it should include the mirrors but it doesn't.

I measured our single garage width and took off the gaps from mirrors to wall. The car inc mirrors comes out at 1920.

The drivers side gap I usually leave is around 680 which is fairly easy to get in and out. I put a board up 420 from the drivers mirror (your 2340 -1920) and the door opens to the first detent on the check strap. I could get in and out at that but it would be assuming the nearside mirror was literally on the garage wall. So a tight call I think. Maybe worth getting a "test drive" to your garage and having a trial parking.

Rich M:

Ecosseven:

Morning all,

I'm thinking about buying a mk3.5 sport tech as a daily driver.

Mazda quote the width of the mk3.5 as 1720mm. Does anyone know if this includes the wing mirrors? My garage is very narrow (only 2340mm) and I'm not sure if I can get out of the car after parking in the garage.

Thanks in advance.

Martin.

 

Hi Martin,

The handbook for our Mk3 quotes "Overall width 1720" which led me to think it should include the mirrors but it doesn't.

I measured our single garage width and took off the gaps from mirrors to wall. The car inc mirrors comes out at 1920.

The drivers side gap I usually leave is around 680 which is fairly easy to get in and out. I put a board up 420 from the drivers mirror (your 2340 -1920) and the door opens to the first detent on the check strap. I could get in and out at that but it would be assuming the nearside mirror was literally on the garage wall. So a tight call I think. Maybe worth getting a "test drive" to your garage and having a trial parking.

 

Thanks very much. I'll arrange a test drive and try parking the car in the garage as you suggest.

Hmm!  I looked at the width carefully before deciding to buy my new 2.0 Sportech Roadster Coupe at the start of this year (I too have a fairly narrow garage, also an awkward narrow sloping drive with, to add to the fun,  two steps up to the door on the side of the house protruding in to the driveway).  The dimensions diagram in the catalogue clearly shows the 1,720mm to include the mirrors.  This appears not to be the case then!  The mirrors do fold though.

My previous two cars were a 2009 (new shape) Fiesta & a 2002 Astra - got those in the garage O.K. but had to reverse in to position the offside as close to the wall as possible then slide across & get out through the passenger door.  Not an option on the MX-5 though due to the high transmission tunnel between the seats so have to go in forwards...

My strategy was to ask a neighbour to watch me in to the garage for the first time, I managed to position the near side of the MX-5 about 20cm away from the wall & there was around 5cm of clearance at the offside front corner to allow me to open the door of my fridge-freezer...

I then used a "colour trial" pot of masonry paint from Wickes to paint a line length-wise down the garage floor, so when going into the garage all that I need to do now is crane my head out of the driver's door & position the car with the wheels up to the line.  Then I know for certain that the car's positioned correctly in the garage & I won't hit anything!

Hope this helps.  For what it's worth I really like the car.