Blind spots?

[SciFiMan]

Hey all. How do you "3" owners feel about visibility and blind spots on the 3? My dad is 77 and has a late '90's Town Car, and has bumped into 3 things this year already when backing out of spaces. I'm trying to get him to trade if for something smaller so the ends of the car aren't 50 feet away and out of his line of sight.

Or can anyone suggest another car (used, or inexpensive new) that could be a good choice for him to downsize to? He doesn't really travel much anymore, just around small Wisconsin town with the occasional side trip to Madison or down to Chicago area here to see the grandkids, so gas mileage doesn't matter very much. Thanks!

 

[SciFiMan]

So 25 people have seen this and nobody will say how the visibility is on the 3? Not even a one word reply like "good" or "bad"? Are y'all afraid Mazda will sue you? Or are you unable to make that sort of judgement? Never mind, I'll just waste two hours going over to test drive one.

 

[GrayZoom]

The visibility is okay. Not the best but okay. I have a Hatch.

 

[ZoomVT]

alright here is what i think.
visibility is alright, i feel that (at least in the sedan) the trunk its up to high and it may block certain things like small children or mailboxes. especially if you are backing a small distance (like 2 or 3 feet) your mirrors wont cover that space and if the object is small enough, you wont see it through the window.
i know because it happened to me, i hit a mailbox that punctured my trunk, had to replace the whole lid. sucked.
other than that i haven experienced any blind spots.

 

[goldwing2000]

So 25 people have seen this and nobody will say how the visibility is on the 3? Not even a one word reply like "good" or "bad"? Are y'all afraid Mazda will sue you? Or are you unable to make that sort of judgement? Never mind, I'll just waste two hours going over to test drive one.

No need to cop an attitude. Since the title of your post didn't mention the Mazda3, those 25 people may not even own one. This IS a forum for ALL mazda vehicles, after all. (no)

That being said, I haven't had any visibility issues with my 5-door. The windows have good coverage and the mirrors pick up any slack.

 

[FemGearHead]

I have a hatch. I had issues with the rear quarter panel area for a couple months when I first got the car, but what I've found helps me is having a rear view mirror which eliminates any and all blind spots.

 

[Crayon]

Yeah, the 3 sedan has a high back end. So backing up with it is a little more of a challenge than normal... but nothing real major other than that.

 

[Brian MP5T]

I think it's fine when I drive the wifes 3

 

[Sylent_Snyper]

I cant say that i've really ever had any problems. As long as you know how to use your mirrors and actually observe your surroundings most people should be fine. oh, and i drive the sedan.

 

[Pretzellogic]

A little parbolic mirror will do wonders. I have one on the 5.

 

[SciFiMan]

It was posted in the Mazda3 Lounge/Welcome area, as I was not looking for opinions from Vette or truck owners. People will b**** when something is posted in the wrong section, so ya just can't win. (shrug) I forget that people don't always go to specific subsections (like I do) and just click on any new thread that might be interesting. But thanks everyone for the information.

No need to cop an attitude. Since the title of your post didn't mention the Mazda3, those 25 people may not even own one. This IS a forum for ALL mazda vehicles, after all. (no)

That being said, I haven't had any visibility issues with my 5-door. The windows have good coverage and the mirrors pick up any slack.

 

[JOS3]

I think it's fine when I drive the wifes 3

how is it compared to the p5? because imo, visibility in the p5 was awesome.

 

[goldwing2000]

It was posted in the Mazda3 Lounge/Welcome area, as I was not looking for opinions from Vette or truck owners. People will b**** when something is posted in the wrong section, so ya just can't win. (shrug) I forget that people don't always go to specific subsections (like I do) and just click on any new thread that might be interesting. But thanks everyone for the information.

All new threads pop up on the forum index page, so some people just read everything.
http://www.msprotege.com/forum/index.php?

Regardless of that, pissing and moaning because people aren't answering your question as quickly as you think they should will only serve to get you ignored.

Just try and relax, kick back, have a frosty beverage and people will answer questions if they have an opinion.

 

[SciFiMan]

And from now on I'll have long detailed subject lines.

 

[krstofer]

Hey, I think the car has major blind spots. I had a civic coupe before this car and did not have any blind spots. Every headrest is a blind spot. I have taken all, but the drivers headsets off and it is better, but still more than the civic. I have the hatch. I think alot of the blind spots are due to the fact it is a 4 door. a 2 door will have less blind spots.

 

[Solo2Protege]

well, as others before me said, the trunk is a little high and you can run into s*** if your 77 and don't have the flexibility to twist your head around and get a good look.

The one thing that i absolutely LOVE about my 1st gen Protege (90-94) is the visibility. It's absolutely awesome. It's also a 4dr sedan. Cheap car to own, runs strong as hell, cheap on gas and reliable as hell.

 

[ZoomVT]

well, as others before me said, the trunk is a little high and you can run into s*** if your 77 and don't have the flexibility to twist your head around and get a good look.

Actually you dont have to be 77 to not be able to see very well with this trunk. It was the middle of winter and getting dark outside (around 5:00 pm ), they had plowed the road and left the snow at the end of the road making it a dead end. I then had to back up to make a K turnaround, well it happens there was a mailbox just the height of the trunk so i couldnt see it even if i kneel on the back seat. Since the mailbox was right behind the car at short distance, the mirrors didnt cover the blind spot right behind the trunk. I ended up puncturing my trunk lid and having to replace it completely. $1500 later i had a brand new trunk lid and tough lesson learned: the f-ing trunk is too high!

 

[Solo2Protege]

Actually you dont have to be 77 to not be able to see very well with this trunk.

well, i was just relating it to the original post.

bummer dude, yet another reason SNOW SUCKS!

 

[Alex_Great]

Parking with a MAZDA 3 a bit of a challenge

well, i was just relating it to the original post.

bummer dude, yet another reason SNOW SUCKS!

Snow doesn't suck, snow kicks ass.

As for the visibility, I find it a bit hard to do parallel parking because, yes, the trunk is too high. If there's someone to tell me how far I can go, no problems, but parking on my own takes a few back-and-forths, just to be on the safe side.

If backing up by a wall, its nice that the lights project well on the wall, and at one point 2 particular beams intersect, and you know you're close enough to stop. One figures it out on his/her own after the first parking (but this is only for direct backing up - check this to see what I mean http://individual.utoronto.ca/baniski/zoomzoom/target37.html)

When driving the car, I have no problems with any blind spots what-so-ever.

Cheers!!!