Car Colours

Box Brownie said:
Weeellll, that 1300GT may not have been as fast as a Mustang but it was the slightly hotter Escort with the beefier suspension etc in the Estate body, hence the even longer wait than usual :D And it was the first and only 1300GT Estate that the dealer had ordered at that time.

PS yes, as I recall the BMC yellow was not the same as the ford canary yellow ;)
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I always had brightly coloured cars, Capri, Escort, Cortina, and always attracting attention. Now that I am an older fart, a dull coloured ford, and blend in with everyone else.

PS
And no more noisy exhausts. :D
 
Whilst I was entitled to company cars, where I had a choice (not every one was my choice over the past 36 years in that type of employment) I chose red on all bar one occasion.

Having had to buy my own car again for the first time in June 2016, since 1980, I bought my Focus Ecoboost and it is a nice bright red :D

PS as for noisy exhausts ~ the noisiest I ever had was purely incidental........on the old Morris 1100 dad's car the exhaust split where it joined the exhaust manifold whilst sitting at traffic lights in London. The noise was deafening for us and no doubt by the looks we got for those within >100 feet around us :lol:
 
I must have OCD. Over the last few days, I have been noticing the colour of cars while out. I can't even say I should get out more, as that would make things worse. :D
 
Box Brownie said:
Having had to buy my own car again for the first time in June 2016, since 1980, I bought my Focus Ecoboost and it is a nice bright red :D
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Race Red, a real bright red, it was my colour of choice for when I bought my Focus ST. I was wary of cleaning the car on bright sunny days however as looking at the paintwork close up, could make your eyes go funny.
The only other colour I would have liked on the ST would have been Tangerine Scream, but it was a colour too obvious to car thieves, hence why I chose Red, still bright but able to blend in.
With my RS, it had to be black, not keen on the Nitrous Blue which the majority of people went for and the other colours at the time were white, metallic grey, or a solid grey which looks like primer with a coat of lacquer. The reflections from the black paintwork are fantastic, I feel the car looks even meaner in black, it looks like Darth Vader from the front, and at night it has the ability to blend in when parked up and less likely to be noticed by thieves.
 
I've gone..

silver
red
silver
green
light green
orange
black
grey
blue
silver
light blue
red
black
white

I think its safe to say...I couldn't care less what colour it is as long as it isn't cat vomit or radioactive.
Colour seems like an exceptionally weak deal breaker to me but I guess if an RS only came in hideous green or orange, I couldn't buy one.
I suppose our choices are shaped by trend and availability whether we like it or not.
 
Marc said:
All my cars so far:

Blue (Allegro)
Red (Metro)
Blue (Clio)
Sliver (Civic)
Blue (Scenic)
Silver (Focus)
Blue (Focus)
Bluey silver (Astra)

Sense a pattern? :D
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I can see the pattern, but that's just my brain. :)
 
nilagin said:
Race Red, a real bright red, it was my colour of choice for when I bought my Focus ST. I was wary of cleaning the car on bright sunny days however as looking at the paintwork close up, could make your eyes go funny.
The only other colour I would have liked on the ST would have been Tangerine Scream, but it was a colour too obvious to car thieves, hence why I chose Red, still bright but able to blend in.
With my RS, it had to be black, not keen on the Nitrous Blue which the majority of people went for and the other colours at the time were white, metallic grey, or a solid grey which looks like primer with a coat of lacquer. The reflections from the black paintwork are fantastic, I feel the car looks even meaner in black, it looks like Darth Vader from the front, and at night it has the ability to blend in when parked up and less likely to be noticed by thieves.
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Just wondering, would a joyrider take an RS GT RX100 Turbo, if it was brown and with a tan vinyl roof? Obviously that model was just made up, it's not out yet. :D
Years ago, my insurance quote had an extra premium added, simply because it was red.
 
joxby said:
I've gone..

silver
red
silver
green
light green
orange
black
grey
blue
silver
light blue
red
black
white

I think its safe to say...I couldn't care less what colour it is as long as it isn't cat vomit or radioactive.
Colour seems like an exceptionally weak deal breaker to me but I guess if an RS only came in hideous green or orange, I couldn't buy one.
I suppose our choices are shaped by trend and availability whether we like it or not.
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Not sure if it still happens now, but when cars were part exchanged years ago, the colour would also determine the end value. Or at least that is what traders told me. Can't remember getting more money because the car was a nice colour, only getting less for brown or muddy colours. :(
 
jonbeeza said:
Not sure if it still happens now, but when cars were part exchanged years ago, the colour would also determine the end value. Or at least that is what traders told me. Can't remember getting more money because the car was a nice colour, only getting less for brown or muddy colours. :(
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Poor colours can affect values because it is harder to find someone else that likes it, popular colours can also affect the price, there will be lots of them and offers up plenty of choice for 2nd hand buyers.
 
Pure white is the safest colour and hopefully the next thing will be that.

Light silver (current), light metallic blue are also fine. Yellow, orange must be ok too.

Black is only ok in daytime when sparkling clean and very shiny. Otherwise it becomes outright very dangerous due to being near invisible. Last black Passat suffered a lot of actual idiots. Silver - not a single one. So no more dark cars. Ever.

Dark grey is the most dangerous, the most boring and the most hideous choice possible. Ewww!
 
At night, black is outright very dangerous due to being near invisible..??

:ROFLMAO:

I sorta know where you're coming from......but not really

mebbe if you got on some country road in the highlands of Scotland in the dead of night with no lights on somebody might miss you, but only if they didn't have lights on either.
In which case, it'd serve you both right.
Doubtless, cars of any colour could suffer the same fate under the same circumstances.

I'm not buying black is outright very dangerous, but smash me with some accident stats and I might change my mind..:)
 
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nilagin said:
Poor colours can affect values because it is harder to find someone else that likes it, popular colours can also affect the price, there will be lots of them and offers up plenty of choice for 2nd hand buyers.
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Going back many years ago, I think it was about £750 or nearer £1000, can't remember the exact figure. But had to pay that, for the metallic finish on the car we wanted. After a year or so of owning the car, we needed a little paint work to a panel, due to a little mishap. Again, we were asked to pay more, due to the paint being metallic, and being hard to match, and obtain. Or at least, that is what we were told. Bu there was no internet and forums way back then, so you had no idea what was what, and you simply paid up. From then on, I preferred keeping things simple, simply red, or blue etc. Oh I spotted what I just did there, missus always did like Mick Hucknall. :)
 
Many years ago I bought a very cheap Mk! escort in Blue Mink to keep me on the road whilst mine was being repaired
Most of the paint had peeled down to the grey primer, seems it was a a known problem.
I kept it longer then I intended, including putting it through an MOT, which it passed easily
nothing wrong with it apart from the paint but it was a magnet for the police who often stopped me
to check it over, they never found anything wrong

Eventually I gave it to a work colleague who had recently past her test and wanted a car, ideal \I thought
good car except for the paintwork.
A few days later her Dad came to see me at work, no idea what she told, but he was demanding her money back for that
heap I had sold her WTF
I put him right but said I would take the car back it he wanted to get rid of it, never heard anymore and she was very sheepish when I saw
her, no idea what ha[[ened to the car
 
Gremlin said:
Many years ago I bought a very cheap Mk! escort in Blue Mink to keep me on the road whilst mine was being repaired
Most of the paint had peeled down to the grey primer, seems it was a a known problem.
I kept it longer then I intended, including putting it through an MOT, which it passed easily
nothing wrong with it apart from the paint but it was a magnet for the police who often stopped me
to check it over, they never found anything wrong

Eventually I gave it to a work colleague who had recently past her test and wanted a car, ideal \I thought
good car except for the paintwork.
A few days later her Dad came to see me at work, no idea what she told, but he was demanding her money back for that
heap I had sold her WTF
I put him right but said I would take the car back it he wanted to get rid of it, never heard anymore and she was very sheepish when I saw
her, no idea what ha[[ened to the car
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Oops, lol.

I had a blue escort, with iffy paint. Hope it was not my one. :rolleyes:


Gremlin said:
nothing wrong with it apart from the paint but it was a magnet for the police who often stopped me
to check it over, they never found anything wrong
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Silver or grey, nobody notices you. You blend in with everyone else. ;)
 
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joxby said:
At night, black is outright very dangerous due to being near invisible..??

:ROFLMAO:

I sorta know where you're coming from......but not really

mebbe if you got on some country road in the highlands of Scotland in the dead of night with no lights on somebody might miss you, but only if they didn't have lights on either.
In which case, it'd serve you both right.
Doubtless, cars of any colour could suffer the same fate under the same circumstances.

I'm not buying black is outright very dangerous, but smash me with some accident stats and I might change my mind..:)
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Dead at night you are relying on car having plenty of good lights. Most cars do well in that regard. It is fine.

Also black is marginally not the most dangerous. They stand out a little being darker than most things, and ultra shine is another thing that brings them out a little. Dark grey is the most invisible. It is the colour of tarmac, and the colour of dusk atmosphere. In certain conditions in daytime they become near invisible particularly looking into the sun. Even with the lights on the morons of all kinds (mostly pensioners) were attracted to it like bees to the nectar.

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/articles/car-crash-by-colour/
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Dead at night you are relying on car having plenty of good lights. Most cars do well in that regard. It is fine.

Also black is marginally not the most dangerous. They stand out a little being darker than most things, and ultra shine is another thing that brings them out a little. Dark grey is the most invisible. It is the colour of tarmac, and the colour of dusk atmosphere. In certain conditions in daytime they become near invisible particularly looking into the sun. Even with the lights on the morons of all kinds (mostly pensioners) were attracted to it like bees to the nectar.

https://www.moneysupermarket.com/car-insurance/articles/car-crash-by-colour/
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All cars now have daylight running lights. I used to hate them, but I suppose they are safer.
 
jonbeeza said:
All cars now have daylight running lights. I used to hate them, but I suppose they are safer.
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It is a good thing they have them now. I'd still use full dipped beams regardless. Sadly neither makes enough impact to complete morons coming from the side road or even adjacent lane
 
joxby said:
At night, black is outright very dangerous due to being near invisible..??

:ROFLMAO:

I sorta know where you're coming from......but not really

mebbe if you got on some country road in the highlands of Scotland in the dead of night with no lights on somebody might miss you, but only if they didn't have lights on either.
In which case, it'd serve you both right.
Doubtless, cars of any colour could suffer the same fate under the same circumstances.

I'm not buying black is outright very dangerous, but smash me with some accident stats and I might change my mind..:)
Click to expand...
In certain spaces in a certain Tesco car park my car turns predator and is hard to see from a distance and from certain angles. The spaces are near trees and bushes and the black paint reflects the trees and bushes so it camouflaged itself. It's easily seen as you get closer though so it's not like you could bump into it by accident.
 
I found this list with pre-amble about black cars on an Aussie car loan website ( https://www.carloans.com.au/top-10/top-10-safest-colours-for-cars)

.................where they do talk about each colour is likely to blend in with the surroundings or not as the case may be!

Top 10 Safest Colours for Cars
Almost all new model vehicles come with a five-star ANCAP safety rating these days. It has virtually become a prerequisite that companies simply have to adhere to if they wish to remain competitive. But aside from the technology and gadgets, does the colour make a difference? According to statistics, black cars are 47 per cent more likely to be involved in crashes than other colours. Here are the top 10 safest colours for cars.

  1. Yellow is famously painted onto every New York taxi, and some taxis in other parts of the world including Melbourne. And there's a reason for it. Yellow is bright and it stands out in rainy conditions, fog, at dusk and dawn and other low-light situations, and it's great at night. It also provides good contrast against other objects around roads, including the black tarmac.
  2. White might seem like it should be the safest colour, however, studies have shown that white cars are very common and the fact they are common can affect the way they stand out. Or rather, not stand out. White is still regarded as a very safe option as it can be seen more clearly in low-light conditions and it's a straight contrast against the black road. It's not number one here though as it can be difficult to see in pouring rain during the day and in fog during the day.
  3. Orange is no doubt a very bright colour, but it's also not seen in surrounding areas on the roads - unless you live in the Australian outback. Not all vehicle manufacturers will offer an orange colour, which does make it very hard to obtain, but it is one of the top safest colours you can go for, with some statistics suggest it as the safest of all.
  4. Gold is bright and shiny, which means it stands out during the day. It's also good at reflecting light during the night and provides good contrast with the black road. Like silver above though, it can be difficult to see in really heavy rain, with some headlights giving off a gold-ish tinge against the water spray.
  5. Cream might be a somewhat boring colour but it is quite safe. It provides good contrast against the road and it's relatively bright during the night. Due to its soft-on-the-eye nature though there is a chance you could miss it. During rainy conditions it's also easily clouded over.
  6. Pink is a very safe colour for obvious reasons; it stands out. Not many motorists or pedestrians will mistake a pink vehicle as invisible or as something else. To be a safe colour it needs to separate itself from the surrounds. Since not many objects on and around roads are pink, it is an excellent colour. The only problem is you have to live with a pink car, which might be hard for some people.
  7. Silver is statistically the most popular colour buyers are going for these days, in terms of private new vehicle sales (not including fleet sales). It is a safe colour as it's bright and stands out in low-light conditions. However, in rainy conditions the colour can blend in very well, making it hard to see. For all other other occasions silver is safe. It's also one of the best colours for resale value.
  8. Green is a bit like red. There are lots of surrounding objects that are green; the green traffic lights, bus stops and some street lights, and fences are fairly common in green. Out in the suburbs there's lots of green grass to content with as well. This means contrast isn't as high as it is with the brighter colour options as mentioned below.
  9. Red is the fastest colour around, obviously, but it's not necessarily the safest. Red can become tangled in the surrounding colours on the street, with traffic lights, brake lights, and various road signs incorporating various shades of red. It does stand out, even in rainy or foggy conditions, however, at night it's not bright enough to light up. It is considered a safe colour, just not as safe as the other options.
  10. Blue is the next safest colour after grey, which means it's not all that safe. Blue tends to blend in with the sky during the day, and it doesn't provide much contrast against the black tarmac. At night it can come across as black if it's a mid-range (or darker) shade of blue.
 
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Box Brownie said:
I found this list with pre-amble about black cars on an Aussie car loan website ( https://www.carloans.com.au/top-10/top-10-safest-colours-for-cars)

.................where they do talk about each colour is likely to blend in with the surroundings or not as the case may be!

Top 10 Safest Colours for Cars
Almost all new model vehicles come with a five-star ANCAP safety rating these days. It has virtually become a prerequisite that companies simply have to adhere to if they wish to remain competitive. But aside from the technology and gadgets, does the colour make a difference? According to statistics, black cars are 47 per cent more likely to be involved in crashes than other colours. Here are the top 10 safest colours for cars.

  1. Yellow is famously painted onto every New York taxi, and some taxis in other parts of the world including Melbourne. And there's a reason for it. Yellow is bright and it stands out in rainy conditions, fog, at dusk and dawn and other low-light situations, and it's great at night. It also provides good contrast against other objects around roads, including the black tarmac.
  2. White might seem like it should be the safest colour, however, studies have shown that white cars are very common and the fact they are common can affect the way they stand out. Or rather, not stand out. White is still regarded as a very safe option as it can be seen more clearly in low-light conditions and it's a straight contrast against the black road. It's not number one here though as it can be difficult to see in pouring rain during the day and in fog during the day.
  3. Orange is no doubt a very bright colour, but it's also not seen in surrounding areas on the roads - unless you live in the Australian outback. Not all vehicle manufacturers will offer an orange colour, which does make it very hard to obtain, but it is one of the top safest colours you can go for, with some statistics suggest it as the safest of all.
  4. Gold is bright and shiny, which means it stands out during the day. It's also good at reflecting light during the night and provides good contrast with the black road. Like silver above though, it can be difficult to see in really heavy rain, with some headlights giving off a gold-ish tinge against the water spray.
  5. Cream might be a somewhat boring colour but it is quite safe. It provides good contrast against the road and it's relatively bright during the night. Due to its soft-on-the-eye nature though there is a chance you could miss it. During rainy conditions it's also easily clouded over.
  6. Pink is a very safe colour for obvious reasons; it stands out. Not many motorists or pedestrians will mistake a pink vehicle as invisible or as something else. To be a safe colour it needs to separate itself from the surrounds. Since not many objects on and around roads are pink, it is an excellent colour. The only problem is you have to live with a pink car, which might be hard for some people.
  7. Silver is statistically the most popular colour buyers are going for these days, in terms of private new vehicle sales (not including fleet sales). It is a safe colour as it's bright and stands out in low-light conditions. However, in rainy conditions the colour can blend in very well, making it hard to see. For all other other occasions silver is safe. It's also one of the best colours for resale value.
  8. Green is a bit like red. There are lots of surrounding objects that are green; the green traffic lights, bus stops and some street lights, and fences are fairly common in green. Out in the suburbs there's lots of green grass to content with as well. This means contrast isn't as high as it is with the brighter colour options as mentioned below.
  9. Red is the fastest colour around, obviously, but it's not necessarily the safest. Red can become tangled in the surrounding colours on the street, with traffic lights, brake lights, and various road signs incorporating various shades of red. It does stand out, even in rainy or foggy conditions, however, at night it's not bright enough to light up. It is considered a safe colour, just not as safe as the other options.
  10. Blue is the next safest colour after grey, which means it's not all that safe. Blue tends to blend in with the sky during the day, and it doesn't provide much contrast against the black tarmac. At night it can come across as black if it's a mid-range (or darker) shade of blue.
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Makes sense why emergency services use yellow, and blue / bluey green battenburg. While fire engines use red, and yellow markings.
 
You can probably make even the dullest car stand out by installing amber warning lights on top and sticking orange vinyl stripes round the sides and back. I was sorely tempted at one point when I still owned the black thing.
 
Since the police, fire service and ambulances all get pulled out on while on "blues and twos", I wouldn't bet on it!
 
Going over our local bridge this morning, hard to see the traffic. This was due to rain, and the spray that was being thrown up, by speeding vehicles. Very hard to see those bloomin silver cars, some don't even bother putting their lights on. Some daylight running lights, are useless. I could see the white and red cars etc, but not the speeding silver / grey cars that were speeding through the mist. :(
 
View media item 13405

I know this thread was about car colours, but going to give the colour of this wagon a mention.

Out on the road this morning, and driving over a bridge. I did not see this wagon racing up behind me. The wagon is a terrible colour, for a misty damp morning. The wagon looked a similar colour to the road and mist.

The photo was taken by the passenger, my missus. Any complaints regarding tec details of photo, see the missus. ;)
 
View media item 13407
This car was also pretty hard to see, when it came up behind me. It is a similar colour to the surroundings.

The photo was taken by the passenger, my missus. Any complaints regarding tec details of photo, see the missus.;)
 
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View media item 13406
I did manage to spot this car coming up behind me.

The photo was taken by the passenger, my missus. Any complaints regarding tec details of photo, see the missus.;)
 
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jonbeeza said:
View media item 13406
I did manage to spot this car coming up behind me.

The photo was taken by the passenger, my missus. Any complaints regarding tec details of photo, see the missus.;)
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jonbeeza said:
View media item 13405

I know this thread was about car colours, but going to give the colour of this wagon a mention.

Out on the road this morning, and driving over a bridge. I did not see this wagon racing up behind me. The wagon is a terrible colour, for a misty damp morning. The wagon looked a similar colour to the road and mist.

The photo was taken by the passenger, my missus. Any complaints regarding tec details of photo, see the missus. ;)
Click to expand...

jonbeeza said:
View media item 13407
This car was also pretty hard to see, when it came up behind me. It is a similar colour to the surroundings.

The photo was taken by the passenger, my missus. Any complaints regarding tec details of photo, see the missus.;)
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Tell her, her white balance is a tad off. ;)
 
nilagin said:
Tell her, her white balance is a tad off. ;)
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It would be hard setting a suitable WB, with wagons racing by. Missus only does point and shoot. :D
I was too busy driving. :)
 
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jonbeeza said:
View media item 13405

I know this thread was about car colours, but going to give the colour of this wagon a mention.

Out on the road this morning, and driving over a bridge. I did not see this wagon racing up behind me. The wagon is a terrible colour, for a misty damp morning. The wagon looked a similar colour to the road and mist.

The photo was taken by the passenger, my missus. Any complaints regarding tec details of photo, see the missus. ;)
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Out of topic but just what the hell are you doing there that even lorries are speeding past you like this??!
 
LongLensPhotography said:
Out of topic but just what the hell are you doing there that even lorries are speeding past you like this??!
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It was icy and foggy, road condition were bad. A lot were breaking the speed limit for normal road conditions. I got off at the first available exit, there was a big pile up further up the road. The speeders were speeding, oblivious to what may be hidden in that mist. Those speeding vehicles did not get very far, little did they know, there was a five car pile up, just a little further up. Insane! :eek:

I got off and took a different route. ;)

@LongLensPhotography There is your answer. :)


PS
LongLensPhotography said:
Out of topic but just what the hell are you doing there that even lorries are speeding past you like this??!
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Driving to were I want to get to. That is what the hell I am doing there! (y)
 
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nilagin said:
Poor colours can affect values because it is harder to find someone else that likes it, popular colours can also affect the price, there will be lots of them and offers up plenty of choice for 2nd hand buyers.
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That’s true. Apparently car dealers refer to plain dark blue cars as “doom blue” because they’re harder to shift.
 
boogie man said:
That’s true. Apparently car dealers refer to plain dark blue cars as “doom blue” because they’re harder to shift.
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I would rather have a blue, than a silver coloured car. "Doom blue" Not heard that before. :)
 
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Not sure what model this car is, but I don't think it would look as good, in Silver. Just a quick snap, as I was passing.
 
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Can't see the image even if I click on the link.
 
Nod said:
Can't see the image even if I click on the link.
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I think it maybe something to do with media permissions, seems different than the old gallery. Having a look at the settings now, maybe I have clicked something by mistake. :confused:

Can't see images myself, when logged out. :thinking:

I must have clicked something, by mistake! Will try and figure out what I have done.
 
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jonbeeza said:
Not sure what model this car is, but I don't think it would look as good, in Silver. Just a quick snap, as I was passing.
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Toyota GT86 ?
(I like it in white )
 
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If anyone can't see the images, ( sorry about that ) I am trying to undo what I did. I created another album, and I may have clicked one of the permissions, accidentally of course. I have not gotten the hang of the new media thingy yet.
 
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