Getting In And Out In The Garage

[Hanslow]

I'm currently through mid-prep of our garage (painting ceiling, walls, floor white, followed by some flooring). Once that's done and we've tidied up a bit, bought a shed for the garden bits, there should be room left to fit an Elise in.

 

I've still not decided on S1 or S2, test drives should hopefully sort that out.

 

Couple of things I'm interested in though. Our house is newish, so comes with a poxy small garage (they don't build them like they used to)

 

Could all you helpful S1 and S2 owners answer the following questions for me please?

1. What's the distance from the closed driver's door to the tip of the drivers wing mirror?
   
2. Do the wing mirrors fold in at all (to gain those extra inches on the passenger side)? If so what's the size difference?
   
3. How wide do you need the driver's door open to get in and out? How far beyond the wing mirror does this extend?
   
4. How wide is your garage internally?
   

I'm hoping I'll have enough room, but without getting an S1 and S2 down here and in my garage, I'm not really going to know, so I thought I'd canvas owners

 

Cheers

 

Steve

[Mr_Belowski]

1. Do you mean the width of the mirror + mounting? I'd be guessing, but 6-7 inches maybe?

 

2. No

 

3. Depends on how skinny you are. An average geezer such as meself needs the door opened most of the way when the roof's on. With the roof off you can just about get in and out without opening it, but need long legs and very good balance. I'd hate to scrap the door edge on rough brick while getting out - it'd make a right old mess

 

4. My S1 lives outside, where cars belong

[Daniel]

If you're desperate I'll do some measuring tomorrow, but I have one of those garages built into the house and it's tiny! I could barely get the Astra in it, but I can get the Elise in ok, bit of a pain to get out of when the roof is on but I'm small so manage without banging the door on the wall too often.

[Hanslow]

1. Do you mean the width of the mirror + mounting? I'd be guessing, but 6-7 inches maybe?

 

2. No

 

3. Depends on how skinny you are. An average geezer such as meself needs the door opened most of the way when the roof's on. With the roof off you can just about get in and out without opening it, but need long legs and very good balance

 

4. My S1 lives outside, where cars belong

 

Cheers Mr B

 

Yep, I meant the width of the mirror and mounting, that gives me an extra six inches of door opening before the remaing space is consumed by opening the door further then.

 

Skinny....I remember those days Trying to get skinnier again, but each time I get to the gym, I come back with another bleedin' cold Current stats are a smidge over 6 feet tall (not even enough of a smidge to make 6' 1") and currently a snip under 13 stone.

 

We've only room for two cars on the drive, and that room will already be taken up Besides, I've never had a garage before so want to put a car in there (unlike everyone else on the street!).

[malbon]

the garage is for worthless junk - not a semi-expensive sports car

 

in answer to your q's, ive had 2 garages that ive put elises in. its tight but its fits easily length ways but u need to put it right against the left side to give u a decent opening of the driver door. and even then its still tight. silly as it sounds u need to put some carpet on the wall a where the door hits.

 

jesus...havent you got any decent questions like what model, suspension exhaust etc

 

i do worry about these new owners sometimes

[Hanslow]

If you're desperate I'll do some measuring tomorrow, but I have one of those garages built into the house and it's tiny! I could barely get the Astra in it, but I can get the Elise in ok, bit of a pain to get out of when the roof is on but I'm small so manage without banging the door on the wall too often.

 

Not desperate, plenty of time before I take the plunge and actually buy one (I can't rush these things + see the need for getting garden equipment out of there). It was just something that crossed my mind whilst in mid garage painting frenzy.

 

Our garage is also integral, so you can gather the width Next door has a separate double garage and theirs seems massive in comparison Shame that a) there's wasn't up for sale when we bought ours and we wouldn't have been able to afford it if it had been!

 

Here's some more stats so you can spoil the party...the interior width of our garage is 2.4m (or 7' 10" in proper money).

 

the garage is for worthless junk - not a semi-expensive sports car

 

in answer to your q's, ive had 2 garages that ive put elises in. its tight but its fits easily length ways but u need to put it right against the left side to give u a decent opening of the driver door. and even then its still tight. silly as it sounds u need to put some carpet on the wall a where the door hits.

 

jesus...havent you got any decent questions like what model, suspension exhaust etc

 

i do worry about these new owners sometimes

 

Wall buffers are already taken care of

 

No decent questions as I know what sort of model (with or without mods) I'll be wanting as I've already been researching this a while (and you guys put far too much useful information in one place )

 

I'm sick of working on cars within a fair-weather time limit, hence the need to have the garage available to house it. It'll be a second car (although that might become a well housed first car ) so it needs to be pampered

[malbon]

sounds like you've done your research fella.

 

research this one.

 

GJOB

[snokes]

being one of taller and wider owners i had great difficulty with small garage.

 

helps a lot with wriggling to wind window down first, or maybe that;s just me.

 

or leave roof off!

 

S

[Snapper]

As a former S2 111s and now a S2 Exige owner who is 6ft and of comfortable build I can only offer this advice to your questions.

 

1) Don't Know. but the door are thicker than you think and with the width of the car I can't drive it in to the garage on my modern single garage and open the door. (House is 14 years old).

 

2) No the wing mirrors don't fold in at all

 

3) Fairly wide for a tall and slightly fat person like.

 

4) I think it's about 7ft or 7ft some thing from memory.

 

When I put the car away in the garage I aline the car to the garage, open the drivers side window, push the car in from the rear (Nose 1st) and slowly do the last few inches until the car just reaches a wheel stop board that should tell me the car is a couple of cm from the back wall, Put the car in to gear leaving the hand brake off, Remove the removable steering wheel, open the door as far as it will go so that I can wind up the electric window and remove the keys from the ignition, shut the door and lock it up.

 

I have no chance of getting in and out of the car in the garage. Luckerly the car is light enough to push into the garage. It's a good job I am not on a steep hill.

 

Seeing that the Lotus is a second car. One thing that I have to be carefull of is when I put the car away I have to make sure the brake disc are dry. This is so that they don't get a bit of surface rust on them and lock up of the the following week or two because I then can't get the car out of the garage.

 

I had this happen with the S2 111s Elise and had to remove the roof and climb in and use the engine to free the brakes up. I can't do this with a hard topped Exige.

 

I will oftern go into the garage and just slightly rock the car to ensure that the brakes don't lock up.

 

Hope that helps.

[Steve J]

Agree with Snokes. Winding the window down enables you to get out the car even if the door is opened only 60cm.

 

Car width mirror to mirror is 186cm so you'll need a garage 250cm wide to be able to get out reasonably comfortably (for an Elise).

 

Why do people put worthless junk in their garage but leave an expensive car outside?

[chorton_1]

[*]How wide is your garage internally?

 

6m x 6m. But size isn't everything

[Hanslow]

sounds like you've done your research fella.

 

research this one.

 

GJOB

 

 

Yes it'll look nice in there, but it'll also be fettled and driven properly

 

[and I did have to research what the hell GJOB meant!]

 

Thanks for the info Snapper, and thanks everyone else for the advice

 

Chorton, I wish my garage was 6m x 6m

 

Steve, sounds like I might just be about able to do it then.

 

Looks like when test drive time comes, I'll try and get an extended drive from a localish dealer and see if I can take it back home to try in the garage. Then of course, I'll go and buy one privately

[Steve J]

There's a couple for sale on here. Cheaper than dealers, known history, well looked after and test drives to fit in garage may be possible (depending where you live).

[AL G]

my old garage was TINY - but got in and out kind OK - not elegant though ;0)

 

Ditto the carpet on the wall - Plus - got a great tip off one of me neighbours too.... On the left hand wall as you drive in, very close to the front facing wall, hang a piece of string from the ceiling with a tennis ball skewered on the end. Hang it really close to the wall, but not touching. Place it carefully so your front wing will knock the ball before it touches the wall - that way you can get right up close, but not too close !

 

Sounds stupid, looks a bit stupid - but works a treat.

[Hanslow]

There's a couple for sale on here. Cheaper than dealers, known history, well looked after and test drives to fit in garage may be possible (depending where you live).

 

I can't buy just yet Need to sort some more things out house/garage/garden-wise first. I'll certainly be looking in on local club cars when the time comes though Haven't got a problem buying private, or buying a car that's been driven hard, or with high mileage, as long as it's been maintained well.

 

I know I'll probably hit the peak of the prices in summer, but depending on what needs doing on the garden (drainage issues that need sorting before getting a shed that can store the gardening pap that's currently in the garage), depends on what finances I have left and when I can have the nice cossetted garage space for my new jewelry Too many factors at the moment and I need to have the Elise as a 'reward' for completing the other things, otherwise they just wouldn't get done, and my life wouldn't be worth much then

 

my old garage was TINY - but got in and out kind OK - not elegant though ;0)

 

Ditto the carpet on the wall - Plus - got a great tip off one of me neighbours too.... On the left hand wall as you drive in, very close to the front facing wall, hang a piece of string from the ceiling with a tennis ball skewered on the end. Hang it really close to the wall, but not touching. Place it carefully so your front wing will knock the ball before it touches the wall - that way you can get right up close, but not too close !

 

Sounds stupid, looks a bit stupid - but works a treat.

 

I've read a similar tip with having it so that it hits the windscreen. Think my mums 'well aged' friend uses it so she doesn't plough into the wall

 

Another 'garage thing' that needs adding to the list then