Recently a young woman who works for me bought her first brand new car, this Honda Civic in this wonderful electric blue, which Honda calls Dyno Blue Pearl. I was really wowed by this color, and impressed that this young woman made a bold color statement instead of buying her Civic in silver, black, white, or some shade of beige – in other words, in a non-color. It’s been a frequent lament in the auto blog world about how most cars today seem to be painted a non-color. But then I noticed how many late-model cars in the work parking lot were colorful.
So I started really looking for colorful cars on my usual afternoon clear-my-head stroll, and set about photographing the ones I found. Within a few days, I had a couple dozen photos. The color I liked second best, after that blue, is this copper-rust color on this Dodge Ram truck.
I have a theory that perhaps it’s primarily people who lease or trade frequently who choose the non-colors because it removes a resale barrier. Yet entry-level cars, like this lime-green Chevy Spark, are more apt to wear look-at-me colors. Maybe their owners buy them to keep them.
This Honda Fit falls into that same category, I think. Honda calls this color Blue Raspberry Metallic.
My theory doesn’t explain this Ford Edge in orange, or Blazing Copper Metallic in Ford-speak. Ford offered this color on the Edge for just one year, so maybe it wasn’t popular.
Another Ford CUV, the new Escape, can be had in this ruddy brown color that Ford calls Sunset.
Blue seems to be resurgent, as I found any number of blue cars in the work parking lot. Another person who works for me drives this blue Toyota Yaris. He usually drives when the gang goes to lunch. His manually shifted car is surprisingly zippy.
I can’t decide what I think of the new Mazda 3’s styling. I like its low-slung look with its set-back cabin, but I’m not crazy about the roofline and do not like that little kink over the rear doors where the roof slides down to become the C pillar.
Here’s another 3 in a darker shade of blue. The 3 above is in Blue Reflex, and this one is in Deep Crystal Blue.
This Kia Optima looks good in Corsa Blue, a color that’s not available anymore in favor of more muted colors.
Here’s another Civic, this time a sedan, in that gorgeous Dyno Blue Pearl.
Have you noticed what class of car is missing? The mainstream sedan, of course. The only colorful one I found in my week of walks was this blue Buick LaCrosse. I saw nary a colorful current-generation Accord, Camry, Fusion, Malibu, Impala, et al., even though plenty of those cars were parked.
Historically, compact and subcompact cars have always been available in more “wild” colors because they’ve always been targeted towards young buyers. Appliance cars targeted towards the “more mature” buyer tend to be more drab.
That Sunset Metallic must be a new for ’14 color, because I’ve seen very few in it. It’s a great shade, though.
Hey, us more mature buyers like real colours too!
The Spark comes in lime green so it can better resemble an elf. Mazda has some good colors. Their Dolphin Gray from a few years ago was more a greenish/aqua/storm cloud shade, and I have a CX-5 which is Metropolitan Gray – an interesting blue tint that changes in different lighting. Though they call these “gray” in the name, they are anything but.
I see a lot of Edges around n N.E. Ohio in that shade. Pretty sharp in my opinion. Love that cooper Ram, too. There’s an amethyst shade available on the new Lincoln MKC that really pops in the sun.
Darkish Blue metallics are probably my least favorate colors on cars period, it seems like that’s been the go to “safe” color for boring people to choose since the late 90s.
Really what I hate about color pallets now a days is that a metallic stage is pretty much mandatory if you decide to choose anything but black or white. That spark for example I find utterly vomit inducing, but if it were just plain lime green(think in the vein of Mopar high impact sublime) I’d like it much more, same goes for orange, red, blue, ect. Newer cars have that flame surfacing thing going on now a days, the body really doesn’t need to be made any busier with a shade shifting metallic on top of it.
+10
Oh man, I love dark blue cars! Maybe that’s part of why I shot so many for this story.
Colours do come round in cycles: the early ’70s saw some quite leery shades, solid and metallic – yellows, oranges, bright greens, though the decade seemed to sink into beigedom later. For a while in the mid 80s nearly all new cars seemed to be white, silver or Ferrari red. Metallic blues have definitely seen a revival in the last few years.
As the owner of a “Spirited Green” Mazda 2 I approve a little colour on cars. Sadly colour palette is more limited in Canada. Honda especially doesn’t seem to even off colour.
Cool little car and cool pic…did you take it?
Yes – thanks. Taken just over the border in Montana. Mine is a Canadian base car so it has unpainted black door handles and a few other differences versus the US market base car.
My inlaws keep their vehicles for a fairly long time so I presume they’re not preoccupied with resale value. They buy silver or gunmetal cars because it hides dirt, ie: they don’t want to have to to wash their cars regularly. I suspect they feel that conservatively-coloured cars appear more “mature” as well. This seems to have rubbed off on their entire family. When we go to family functions at their house, it’s a sea of silver and gunmetal vehicles.
I like the copper colour on the Dodge pickup, but I’m not a fan of the Sport model. I like chrome bumpers and grille.
I really like Mazda “Copper Red Mica”. It has a ton of flop between deep red and copper-orange.
How sad must things be that a blue car sticks out?
It is nice to see those bolder colors. Still not sure I would ever buy one, just for resale alone. I hate beige, I like black best of all despite how difficult it is to keep looking nice.
Hey, that RAM looks to be the same color as the much maligned Coronet:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-outtake-1966-dodge-coronet-440-keep-out-of-reach-of-children/
I did read elsewhere (where we will not mention) that pretty much all German cars are non-colors and thereafter spent a weekend annoying my family with:
“Black BMW…Silver Audi…White Mercedes…Silver BMW…”
I still miss the color palate of the 1990s. Pine greens, turquoises, teals, dark purples, bright reds, soft blues, navy blues, and attractive beige tones to name a few. I know some of those colors are represented above, but not so much to the shade of my liking.
Do you remember that other style fad that went hand in hand with the colors of the 1990’s? The door graphics
Seems like you could get these in almost every low end car ether by dealer add on or mail catalog
So don’t miss those stupid tape stripes.
Now there’s a time capsule from my childhood! It’s even complete with cheapo wheels and a body kit!
I remember the graphics fad very well, and it seemed really really popular on GMs like that Cavi but I also remember it on N body Grand Ams, the Dustbuster vans(I think my cousins actually had a Trans Sport with graphics), and the C/K trucks. When I was 6 we went on vacation to Tarpon Springs Florida and our rental car was a Teal graphics laden Mercury Tracer, talk about 90s! Oh and of Course there’s the Splash Ranger: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-cohort/cc-capsule-ford-ranger-splash-victim-of-changing-tides/
Correct, that Fit is painted in Blue Raspberry Metallic. Did not realize that Blazing Copper Metallic was only available for a year on the Edge since it is somewhat common. I am a bit surprised the Mazda3 is available in two shades of Blue, but that is nice to know. The 2006-2016 Impala does or did come in Aqua Blue Metallic which is the most exciting mainstream sedan color I can think of. The current Ice Blue Camry is too light a blue for my tastes, but it is reasonably tolerable.
If I ever have to buy a late model Accord I toy with the idea of getting one in white then paying someone to paint it Blue Raspberry Metallic since I find the current selection of colors boring. I also toy with the idea of buying a white pickup truck then painting it in two colors like the Fords, Dodges, and Chevies of the 20th Century.
You can still buy new pickups in 2-tone colour combinations if you step up to the higher trim levels.
Really!? Did not know that; I take it is the Detroit 3 with their fullsize truck line.
I know the RAM1500 Laramie version comes with silver lower paint, and the Laramie Longhorn comes with light gold lower paint.
Not sure about the details for the Ford or GM pickups. I know I’ve seen newish F-150s with different lower body colours.
Funny how our piece on colorful cars is written by Mr. Grey. Just sayin’ . . . 🙂 Actually, I’m glad you wrote this, as I had been thinking about this recently myself.
I love that Sunset shade on those new Fords, and have seen a couple. I am perpetually a sucker for any kind of coppery-red. It reminds me of the 1 year only color of my 77 New Yorker – Russet Sunfire Metallic.
Every once in awhile someone tries a color that is so far out of popularity that if fails miserably. Chrysler tried to bring dark green back on minivans a few years ago, and I saw one the other day. I like the color, but it makes the van look like something from the 90s.
Have you seen the new-for-2015 shade Ford has called Bronze Fire? Oh mercy I want a new Lincoln MKZ in that color!!!
My 2011 Mustang is painted an eye scorching bright red that Ford calls “Race Red”. It was either that or the shade that my wife refers to as “Cheer Bottle Blue”. As I plan to keep this car until I can no longer get into or out of it, resale value was the furthest thing from my mind.
My absolute favorite on any kind of car is black. I know it is harder to keep it clean, but it looks so stately and formal, especially with the proper kind of chrome accents.
I do not like white at all, pearl white being an exception. Gray I really don’t like either though it all depends on how its done. I’ve seen some gorgeous Cadillacs in gray from back in the 70s, but most grays seem painfully dull.
Then I have a few different ones. I really like the lighter yellow that Cadillac had back in the 70s and 80s (colonial I think?) as well as the darker greens they had. Same with the dark green Lincoln offered from the 70s through the 80s and their darker red/burgundy. For something a bit different, I’ve also seen (on this site for one) some 50s Imperials and Continentals in a rose color which I think fit them well plus a rose Continental Mk IV or V. Its not a color I’d choose for most cars, but it fit them well.
For current cars, I like the dark red that Chrysler offers. Actually, among Cadillac, Lincoln and Chrysler the only color I really like other than black is their red. Blue is ok, but is still kind of boring.
The really bright colors, like that lime green Mazda and the various ones offered by Mopar seem garish to me but I suppose its nice to have something different if you are going to resign yourself to driving a penalty box. Otherwise, no thank you.
Black is OK to look at, but I hope I never have to own a black car. Why? Because it’s hot here for five months of the year, and quite warm for another two. During those hot months, the sun beats down mercilessly, and that black paint just soaks up all that light and transfers the heat to the interior of the car. It’s bad enough with A/C; I remember what black cars were like before A/C became common!
I live in Nebraska and while we only maybe have 5 months in which the temp can get over 80, we also have humidity. I currently own a black car and had a black one previous to this one. I just roll the windows down and I’m perfectly fine. If I have someone with me, I try to be a gracious host and turn on the AC but otherwise I think its completely doable.
I agree on the black. My first car was black, then I went through 3 blue ones. The last 7 new vehicles i have owned have all been black. In between I have had copper, green, turquoise and white trucks. I joke about being in a black color rut but I like the way they look. I think it gives the car an upscale look and I like a vehicle that shines. They sure can be a pain in the rear to keep clean, though, especially in the winter. At one time we had 3 black cars. Our kids said it felt like they were living in a funereal home.
When I bought my 2012 Fiesta from Carmax, I chose the Lime Green version for two reasons.
1. It was the only stick shift Fiesta on the lot
2. Due to the color it was painted, I would have a color that did not look like everybody else’s Fiesta.
Sadly it seems that I should have gotten a white Fiesta as almost every Fiesta on the road around my way is also Lime Green.
That color was the ‘hero color’ (to use a Holden term), the one used at the launch and for road test/promo cars. The Mazda2 green above and Insight citrus below are the same and will be very common too.
My father had white cars for years for his business, that were snapped up by limousine/wedding car operators when the leases were up, since he’s retired he has had red cars. He bought two classics that were both red by chance, and 2 new cars since that have both been red to match. All 4 red colors are different of course, ranging from the orange end of the spectrum to a darker cherry red type color.
Buying used or classic cars the color is a secondary consideration, there are some that would be a deal-breaker for me though.
What’s wrong with black or silver?
Silver is most definitely a color, and it’s one of my favorites when it comes to cars.
Black is ok, but Silver is so dang dull. I feel like Silver oppresses creativity, happiness, expression, and the owner of the vehicle is too concerned with what others think of them or about them.
You telling me I can’t have silver is oppressing! Jeezus.
I don’t think the average person cares that deeply about the color of their Camry!
I would say if they drive a Camry they don’t even care about cars much, let alone their color.
Thanks for proving my point.
Silver is dull? OK lol. And that bit about you thinking silver means the owner is too concerned with what others think? That sounds like projection to me.
You seem like the kind of guy who would drive a Golf Harlequin. Those are very “expressive”……..not that there is anything wrong with it.
Silver looks like bare metal. Black looks like a funeral.
Silver looks, to me, like you just want something that doesn’t show the dirt when it gets dirty so you don’t have to clean it very often. Black does look like a funeral, but since I’m a mortician, its right up my alley.
I’m a minister. At a funeral, my car is often the brightest in the parking lot.
Silver and black can both be stunning. The funny thing is though, black looks good on pretty much anything, but it’s impossible to keep in good condition without having a massive car care budget for waxes, polishes, soap, water, sponges, applicators, ect. and lots of time to use that stuff every week, whereas silver only looks stunning on just the right car(like, say, a C2 Corvette) the rest of the time it’s boring and dull but it’s completely care free, you can wash the car once a year, even in salt country and it barely looks any worse for wear, then when you wash it off, without even using soap, it’ll basically look like new.
Silver and white are colors the designers use in style development to show the flow of the lines. Personally I’ve always thought them to be classy with touches of chrome.
While I’ve had dark green, fire engine red, baby blue, gold, and yellow second-hand cars, my new ones have always been silver or pearl white, easy to clean and always classy.
If I had to ‘step out’ of my comfort zone, I’d go with maroon….it shows chrome off quite well.
Of course back in 2010 I briefly had a 2009 Pontiac Vibe in Mystic Blue Metallic(GM speak for Teal) It was a pretty color.
Pic of a 2009 Vibe(not mine)
Wow. I’ve never seen that shade before, and I look at every Vibe/Matrix I see because I own one and like them.
It was a one year only color that GM offered and only 3000 Vibes were painted Mystic Blue Metallic(it took 3 months for GM to get me a bottle of touch up paint for it)
I need to write a COAL about mine(all my pictures are on a flash drive).
It was a base model with a 5 speed manual with no options except ABS, Radio with Sat radio) and A/C. It was quick for its size and engine and I was able to fit a washer in the back with the seats down.
As Pontiac closed up shop before I bought it and GM pretended the car did not exist, I always got my parts and services done at the local Toyota Dealer(It is a Matrix with a Pontiac symbol on it after all)
Like the author, I can’t get used to calling a Dodge truck a “Ram.” It’s like a teenager who suddenly decides he’s someone else. “Okay, Chrysler, we’ll call it ‘Flynn’ instead of ‘Walter, Jr,’ if that’s what you really want.”
Regarding the actual subject of this article, there’s just no middle ground on the color of cars nowadays. They’re all painted either nondescript fleet-duty non-colors or done up in wild shades that JUMP RIGHT OUT AT YOU. I would also say that you tend to see wilder colors like Fly Yellow or Notice Me Orange primarily on small cars because that sort of shade just doesn’t suit a larger car.
When my wife bought a new Acura RDX last year, she absolutely refused to go with black, white or silver. So the only choice left was burgundy. A color neither of us particularly likes, but it was either that or a totally boring non-color. She would have been much happier with a bright “sports car” yellow or a nice electric blue, but Acura offers nothing like that.
It’s really a shame that these days one has to basically settle for a color, almost as in the good old “it’s black or nothing” Model T Ford days.
Makes me appreciate my yellow ’79 Chevy that much more, always an easily locatable bright spot in any large parking lot.
A few times my potential car buy was nixed by the non-availability of real colours.
If ya gotta be ugly you might as well be colorful!
I love those copper-orange-red colors. All of my current cars are boring colors. Silver, really dark gray, black. Yawn.
My bike, on the other hand…
I’ve seen some really fine metallic candy paints on motorcycles. I suspect that since there’s so much less sheet metal on a motorcycle the cost of the paint isn’t a big factor in the price.
I really like the colour of my “Citrus” Insight:
I am glad the Insight came in bright colors since I would like to purchase one someday.
Salsa and Mystic Blue Metallic.
The Salsa car is mine. I find the Mystic Blue stunning.
I remember that the Vibe came in all sorts of bright colors, there was a yellow and an orange available too if I recall.
Interesting style analysis on the Mazda 3. My guess is that it was styled as a hatchback first and the sedan adapted from it, thus the only bad lines being concentrated in that area.
I think you are right, that little bobble in the rear crease just doesn’t look right. I don’t like the over-dramatic ‘crossing’, or perhaps non-crossing of the front and rear belt-line creases either. Actually I don’t really like the car as a whole, the proportions and styling creases are just a bit awkward.
But then people like me love it. It has lines the eye can see actually go somewhere, rather than just being meaningless curlicues of tortured metal. It’s a shame for Mazda that I’m not in the market for a new one.
A few months ago I found my self helping someone move which put me driving back and forth down a local auto row. The GMC dealer has a shallow lot on one side of the road for an entire double block. The front line had groups of the various vehicles, Pickups, Suburbans et al. out of the 40 or more vehicles only one wasn’t black, white, silver or grey and that one was a red Acadia. Certainly the fact that they are “trucks” and there were probably a few fleet specials in the bunch probably skewed it for a few more white that cars would be but I couldn’t believe they only had a single vehicle on the front line that was a “color”.
Jack Baruth did an article a few weeks back on how having a real color and/or a MT isn’t a resale killer as long as you want to sell it yourself, and if you are willing to do so and don’t have to have it gone today you might even get more for it.
Trade it in and yeah they will use a bright color or lack of an AT against you.
Personally I like some color but I like Black too. I’ve had a few silver cars and don’t mind them, but it certainly wouldn’t be my preferred choice but definitely higher than grey, tan/beige or white.
My wife prefers blue though for years it was almost always a red car, which she doesn’t like, that we found to be the best choice/deal at the time. Her last two cars though have been blue after a bunch or red ones in a row.
Bright colour and manual transmission a resale killer – interesting.
When my daughter went in search of a first-gen Honda Jazz (Fit) five years ago, she wanted a yellow one, like in the TV ads. We live just outside our state’s second-largest city, so we’re not exactly in the middle of nowhere. But to get the pearl yellow she wanted, we had to do a 300km round trip! It turned out to be a (fully-optioned top-spec) manual – that was no problem – but the big city dealer had had it in stock for five months and had reduced it to less than book value just to get rid of it.
Their loss, my daughter’s gain!
Which of course is why the dealer probably low balled who ever traded it in. So while they sold it for under book they probably paid under book for it. However as you noted your daughter had to have that color so chances are she would have paid more for one in that color than one in blegie.
I do like that metallic orange on the Dodge. Mopars have had some different formulas of this color and they all look great on the right ride. I really wanted my PT Cruiser in the ‘tangerine’ that was available at the time….
A color not seen much now is the “baby blue” of my old 1970 F-100 (I think it was called “Diamond Blue”). Now, we have a Chevy Silverado and Trailblazer, both in…white.
In Phoenix, white doesn’t fade, it just gets whiter.
(The blue oval to GM transition is another story for another CC).
A friend of mine had a Civic sedan in the identical blue as the one in the article, it got w/o a couple of months ago when a lady in a PT Cruiser slammed into the left rear quarter of it at speed, my friend walked away with some minor sores, but the Civic was totally mangled.
I really want to buy a Mazda CX-5. They make the CX-5 in both a blue and a red that are stunningly beautiful. But some head honcho decided that if you want a stick, you can’t have color.
Cars with clutches may only be painted gray, silver, or black. If I ever meet the guy who made that decision, I will punch him in the throat.
If I could get a blue one, I would have bought it already. The (lack of) available color choice keeps me sitting on the fence.
Are you listening, Mazda??
I’ve noticed that in a couple other cars — you can get a manually shifted Jetta in gray only, for example. What the?
You can technically order a manual Jetta in any color, but out of the one or two actual cars you’ll find on a dealer’s lot – there’s a 90% chance it will be silver, gray, black, or white.
Same deal with a manual Focus, Civic, Corolla, etc. They’re so hard to get off the lot period, the dealerships order them in the most neutral shades possible. Even then they often sit on the lot for 8 months until they’re ridiculously discounted.
What are you talking about? Jettas are one of the few cars sold where manuals are fairly common, you can get a manual in any color. I’ve owned a green one, a blue one and a goldish brown one, they all had manuals.
Considering I just bought a brand new manual-trans Jetta this year, and the only two color choices were silver or gray at a pretty large dealership stocking probably 30 Jettas total… I think it’s safe to say the ones in actual colors are hard to find. My gray car sat on the lot for almost a year and was only sold once they offered a crazy low lease rate.
Maybe yours were the higher trim versions, but among the base S and SE models, finding a red or blue one takes a 300+ mile drive to a dealership out of state. Sadly not all of us have the budget to shell out 28 grand for a manual GLI in whatever color we want….
Granted, you’re right in that it’s easier to find manual Jettas than the other compacts. I worked at a Ford dealer and encountering a stick-shift 2012+ Focus was like finding a dodo bird. I’m surprised they even offer them anymore given the non-existent demand in the United States.
I bought a new Fiat Stilo in yellow back in 2002, complete with a blue interior. It was a Fiat, it was Italian, so it had to be done.
I now run a mk1 Ford Focus in silver. It was bought second-hand, so colour did not come into it, only spec and engine.
I have a hatred of white as a car colour. I am not, neither do I aspire to be, a drug-dealer. Yes, i associate the colour with Miami Vice. White seems to be the ‘trendy’ colour of choice for German cars here in the UK.
I have a strong distaste for white cars, too. And I too run a first-gen Focus in silver, the ultimate non-color. It’s actually in one of the photos above, in the background.
The Mk I Focus is one of those cars that actually looks good in silver, particularly in hatchback form. One of my “ones that got away” is an ’03 ZX5 in silver, with manual and cloth but every other option you could get on a Focus. Someone bought it over a weekend I had to work through. That was in ’07 or so.
The first new car I bought was a 2001 ZX3, and I just had to have it in egg yolk yellow. That car attracted LOTS of negative attention.. I’m not so sure I would want such a standout color on a car again because of that.
I believe the lack and choices of colors is a cost savings measure that the auto manufacturers do. It makes it easier to produce cars in certain colors and they don’t have to offer all different interior colors as anything goes with grey, tan, or black. Plus since new cars are no longer “ordered” by the customer, it allows the dealers to stock cars that appeal to the masses. That’s my take on this whole thing.
Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s, I couldn’t wait to see the new colors that were available. You had beautiful tones of blue, red, browns, etc. I remember when green was faded out and then made a big come back with those dark deep metallic shade of hunter green.
Silver cars looked better back in the day, because you can order an interior that was complimented by the silver exterior, and coordinate it with a color keyed vinyl roof. Neighbors had a silver 1970’s Caddy with a deep red interior and vinyl roof. Looked beautiful.
Deluxe tutone cars became very popular when GM downsized it’s B and C body cars. Especially handsome where the Buick LeSabre’s in the light blue over medium blue colors, or the deep beige over a creamy beige. OK, the beige colors were neutral, but they had a certain hue to them that made them look anything but boring.
I blame the dealers.
Gray and silver may not be everyone’s favorite, but they seem to be acceptable to everyone, while some folks would never be caught dead in a brown or red or lime green car. So the safe choice for dealers who want rapid turnover of their inventory is to order cars in black, white, gray and silver.
Heaven help you if you want an unpopular set of options plus a vibrant color. I bought a Focus a couple of years ago. I wanted a standard transmission. The dealer had about a hundred Foci on the lot, but only one with a manual and the mid-level trim package. It was, of course, painted silver. I drove it home. I would have preferred a more interesting hue, but I, like everyone else, was willing to accept silver.
If automakers had interior pallets that could set off the silver it wouldn’t be so bad, but like the paint limitations that too comes down to cost since, probably more so actually. Silver with blue or red interior is one of the best color combos I can think of in old cars.
Nothing like a black, gray or silver car with a red interior. I would be more willing to buy a “boring” colored car if the interior made up for it. I always liked the black/silver and dk gray/silver two-tones with a red interior. Like the ’77 Olds Delta 88 and 78 Corvette Indy pace cars
I would like to have a six speed Accord coupe in blue (Still Night Pearl), however, I can get it ONLY with a CVT!! My manual color choices are limited to Black (EX,LX), if I opt for the V-6,I can add Red,Steel Metallic, and White to the selection; black interiors only! Needless to say, as Blue is my favorite color (followed by Green) I will not be getting an Accord coupe. My Vortex Blue Pearl, 5 speed manaul Fit Sport will continue to suit this “mature” driver!! 🙂
Don’t get this either. Mrs. JPC wanted tan interior (instead of black) in our 2007 Fit, and we wanted the Sport. Came in one paint color only – white. But with a base model Fit, the tan interior could be had with several other colors. And, so far as I can tell, there was no difference in the seats or door panels between the two. We settled for the white car, though it was far from our first choice.
Your white Fit was a one-year only color in those first gen models, and it’s rare to boot.
I never knew that. Checked, you are right. I knew that they added a couple of colors, but missed that the white got dropped, as well as the tan interior. Ours was quite early for a 2007 model, ordered July 2006 and delivered (finally!) in November, 2006. Still happily driving it today, and a little more smugly, knowing what a collector’s item it is. 🙂
When I was growing up my dad made a point of buying white cars. “They’re easier to keep clean and are cooler in the summer.” At the time I made a vow never to buy a white car when I got older, and I’ve kept that promise to myself. These days Ford has a deep red that really pops. I think it’s called Ruby Red, and it’s an extra-cost color. I see it fairly frequently around here.
Speaking of resale values, when I was getting management lease cars at Ford, the ordering instructions every September had minimum equipment lists for various models for purposes of improving resale values. Mostly stuff like AC on cars that didn’t already include it as standard (e.g., Escort/Focus), or options to give luxury cars the proper upscale vibe. They never required choosing AT though. They also would make certain interior/exterior color combinations off-limits, but never prohibited any exterior colors by themselves.
I did get a black car once. I got a triple-black Mustang GT convertible in 91 because I figured it would have the proper meanness factor.
All of these color preferences make me appreciate my “old gold” ’95 Olds even more.
Interesting report on today’s car colours. I really like some of the new tones offered, and how brands differ in this respect. I liked the mention of those “hero colors”, as I think they help explain the prevalence of, for instance, green Sparks and Mazda2.
By the way, on the new Mazda3, I’m pretty sure the sedan and hatchback were developed at the same time. Is not an afterthought boot like those on the Peugeot 206 and Mazda2
GAAH! Was that hacked up by Top Gear or something!?!
Seriously, that profile looks like they’d have been better off moving the C-post forward 18 inches or so, doing it as a pickup variant and forget about sedans!
Late model Civics don’t come in beige, luckily. But Accords still do, blah.
Honda’s Pearl blue is sweet looking and in dark looks indigo.
Ford’s Performance Blue is similar, on Focus, Escape and Fiesta.
“Resale Red’ is true. I traded in 3 red cars in past 20 years, and each sold within a month. 2 sold in a week!
Acura ran a commercial on the last season of “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” in which they make a point that the TLX “comes in 7 colors” the car in the commercial then flashes between the different “colors”. They are: Black, Slightly Different Black, Dark Gray, Light Gray, White, Blue, and Dark Red. So….two colors.
My Titan is Metallic Copper, but Nissan got rid of that choice after 2 years. The Jetta is called ‘Bronzit’ by VW, but it looks more beige than bronze to me. Interior of titan is tan and grey, Jetta is tan and brown. I do like the brighter interiors over black. The only silver car I thought really looked sharp was Dad’s 67 Conti, the black vinyl roof made for a nice contrast. It did have black interior. It probably was better looking back in 1967 because silver was not such a common color then. I agree black looks sharp, but dirt and minor flaws show easily, and in a hot climate it’s uncomfortable. I kept my last truck 30 years, and have had my car for 23 years, so resale isn’t an issue, I just get what I like. I have noticed brighter blues on newer cars becoming a bit more common. Great photos to brighten up a grey day.
The other thing about silver cars is that silver can have so many kinds of character, depending on the mixing formula. I’m generally not a fan of them, but your comment about your Dad’s 67 Lincoln reminded me of my Grandma’s 69 Catalina sedan, in the same silver with black roof/interior combo. That was really sharp, but I recall that silver as particularly clean and bright. Another like it was a shade found in Chryslers and Hondas maybe 7-10 years ago, that was extremely pure – there must have been a fair amount of blue in its mixing. The opposite is the more muddy, dirtier silvers like was so popular on Fords of the mid 2000s, that I never cared much for at all.
Good point. It was a long time ago, but it was a nice and bright silver.
Toyota has a lovely green that they use on the new Corollas. Evergreen Mica, a deep, dark green that really pops when the light hits it. I’d never buy the car of course, but it’s a nice color.
I’ve seen a few of those on the road, I really like that color too. Believe it or not, it’s actually called 4evergreen mica (so stupid..).
Camaros are one of the few modern cars that has a pretty wide array of colors, plus the combinations of different stripes that are available. Chargers have a fairly wide selection too.
Scion offered the 2004-2006 Xb1 Release Series in a different forward-looking color each year; burnt orange, yellow, lime green and torched penny, all of them winners in my book esp for their time
I hate non-colors. My current car is a Victory Red 2009 Chevy Impala. My previous one (also an Impala) was Superior Blue Metallic with a matching blue cloth interior. First car was a Dark Teal Metallic Olds Cutlass Supreme …the car was by choice, but I settled for the color buying used and all… I always got compliments on the color combo with tan interior, but it was a bit too “me too” in the late 90s. My wife has a 2014 Chevy Sonic in Dark Magenta Metallic, a unique and limited edition color (her dad has a 2012 Sonic in Blue Topaz, which I helped convince him he wanted over the gray one the dealer was trying to get him to buy). The wife’s previous two cars were blue (one light and one dark) Toyota Echos. My parents just got a 2014 Impala, and I convinced them to go with the Crystal Red Metallic over the white they were also considering. Also, wife’s cousin just picked up a 2014 Dodge Charger R/T in Plum Crazy.
Personally, my happiness during time of ownership beats any minimal difference in price at resale time, and sometimes the unique color might actually make it more desirable. I’m pretty conservative, and frugal, but thinking that much into how color will affect resale in five years is just crazy. Condition and mileage, not to mention overall reputation will be way bigger factors. I’m still surprised at the amount of compliments I’ve gotten on my red Impala over the years. It’s like people are surprised that it looks nice after they have a picture of an Impala in their minds. I doubt that anyone would have noticed if it were silver or gray.
Sorry, just figured out that I can add a picture and couldn’t add it to previous post in editing mode.
Some of us can’t afford (or refuse) to spend that kind of money on a brand new car and have to settle for whatever colour is available in used. I got stuck with what Honda refers to as “Sapphire blue pearl,” which is essentially a blue paint with flakes in it, that shines in the sun. They had a black car on the lot but it looked “used and abused” with higher kms and a mark on the interior that looked like a burn.
Black, white and silver are quite common colours around here and blending in reminds me of the Ford Model Ts as already mentioned above. I expected that colours like bright green and brown would stay dead. I would prefer a solid colour like white for my next car because it hides light surface scratches and touch ups are easier. Gold and dark forest green are the family car / minivan colours I’d like to avoid.
Around the end of 2007, we had been looking for a cheap car and ended up with a used ’97 Toyota Tercel that came with a meadow green pearl paint job. The colour looked better on the internet picture. I got a thumbs down when I drove it to work as one guy even commented that I should get a cheap black paint job to cover it up. You do not feel invisible in this car as it sticks out like a sore thumb. Ever lose your car in a parking lot? -Not with this minty green colour.
One time I was parked perpendicular to a sidewalk in a mall parking lot while checking the turn signals. I noticed about four younger high school kids who must have been in their late teens walking by. When my back was turned I heard someone make a wisecrack comment, “Are you a taxi cab driver?,” although at the time I wasn’t even sure if it was addressed to me. (We do have cabs that are orange and green in Toronto, Canada). When I turned around to look, they were already a short distance away. Funny thing was that they were walking and had no car. I remember later that I was just grateful to be able to drive around in Winter in a warm car, regardless of the colour.
Just checked up on the Mazda 6 online. The only halfway-decent colour is red, and the only interior colour is black.
No sale.
Ah, color.
This subject has been on my mind a bit lately. Some thoughts…
Currently, I feel Ford, Chrysler, and…Honda(!) has the best color choices.
Every weekend I hit the car dealers to see what’s out there for a column I write at The Brougham Society called “Sunday Musings”. On more than one occasion I have discussed color. Ford has three colors in particular that are new for 2015 that really catch my eye, Bronze Fire, which is a lovely ruddy shade, “Guard”, which is a metallic greyish-blueish-greenish shade that looks very upscale, and Tahitian Pearl, which is a really dark shade of purple that is available on the Lincoln MKC.
Over at Chrysler, they are offering the new 200 in the most beautiful metallic red I have ever seen, called Velvet Red. the other two colors that catch my eye are Luxury Brown, and a non-metallic shade called Ceramic Blue.
Honda, despite their seemingly endless silver and black cars, has in addition to the aforementioned Dyno Blue Pearl, two lovely burgundy shades, Basque and Crimson Pearl, a nice aqua shade called Sea Mist, and two browns, Tiger Eye, and Kona Coffee Metallic. Kona Coffee is of particular interest to me, because I bought a new Civic back in the Spring in that shade. The only downside to it was that it only came with a black interior. Oh well…What can I say, I love earth tones!
What Does Your Car Color Say About You? written by Leatrice Eiseman
There is no question that the vehicle you drive is an extension of your personality — an unspoken but clear message to the rest of the world. So, if you had the perfect car in the perfect color, what would it be?
Red
Vibrant red: Sexy, speedy, high-energy, dynamic.
Burgundy or blue-red: You give a similar message, but it’s far less obvious.
Orange
Fun-loving, talkative, fickle, trendy.
Yellow
Sunshine yellow: Sunny disposition, joyful, young-at-heart.
Yellow-gold: Intelligent, warm, loves comfort and will pay for it.
Green
Dark Green: Traditional, trustworthy, well balance.
Bright Yellow-Green: Trendy, whimsical, lively.
Blue
Dark Blue: Credible, confident, dependable.
Light or Middle Blue: Cool, calm, faithful, quiet.
Purple
Creative, individualistic, original.
Gray / Silver
Elegant, loves futuristic looks, cool.
White
Fastidious.
Black
Powerful, Classic, Elegant, Empowered. Not easily manipulated, loves elegance, and appreciates classics.
Brown
Down-to-earth, no nonsense.
Taupe or Tan
Timeless, basic, simple tastes.
(I thought that this article that I found on the internet was related to the theme of car colors.)
Reading through these old posts. Let’s see, I had an Electric Blue 92 Dakota. Traded it for an 03 Nissan Frontier crew Cab in that bright yellow they offered. After it came a Butane Blue (light blue) Chrysler T&C (best color on the lot at the time). Then a Silver Olds Aurora. I was looking for a cheap car when working out of town. Little did I know how much I would love that car. Even if it was silver. Now a Blazing Copper 2007 Ford Edge like the one in the post. I have had a green metallic Vega with green interior. Yeah! I had a dark copper 71 Dart. And ex wife & I had more silvers (Chevette (blue interior), Sable, Grand Prix), blacks (Nissan Pathfinder, Dodge 4×4 full size truck (red interior), Camaro) (yuck), red (Taurus after Sable). Had a powder blue F100 of early 70’s vintage. Copper ’73 Grand prix (first car). Maroon Audi Fox. Can’t remember any others presently. My current wife has a Pearl White Suzuki Kizashi (look that one up).
The most recent car we bought had to have TAN interior just to stay away from the blacks and grays so prevalent now. And of course, I had to have a COLOR. Not a silver,black, gold, or white car. She doesn’t like red. She prefers darker colors – blue, root beer, black cherry type colors) So we bought a 2007 Edge in December 2016 – just so happened to be priced well and ORANGE, my favorite. I like used cars and can be hard to find stuff. Part of the challenge. I guess the Edge and Dakota were the “hero colors” referenced above.
Funny stuff, this car color deal. My best friend’s wife won’t let him buy a non silver/black/white car. I want the best color I can find. I have been an “artist” forever, so I guess I need color in my life.
Cool post.