Black cars

[Cameron Wood]

In my upscale area, there is a black car fad going on- possibly 30%.

IMO, this is mass stupidity. If you're tempted, talk to someone who has owned a black car previously, and get their opinion. Many will say never again.

Hot. Is this a kind of climate denialism?

High maintenance. Shows the dirt, more frequent cleaning. Finish breaks down faster.

Low resale value. In some years, a glut of bad looking black cars will be looking for buyers.

Highest accident rate. Primarily based on a study by an Australian university, but credible.

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[Doug Garson]

Yeah but they look better in the shade. :cool:

[Warren Lake]

yes and written by a canadian treasure.

If you know how to detail and take care of your own stuff its doable. dont get the attraction though

[Rich Engelhardt]

My 2019 Hyundai Kona is two tone, Black roof/Red body.
When I bought it 4 years ago, I applied three coats of Torque Detail ceramic finish.
At the time, Torque was rated as the best by several online sources.

The car has never been parked inside and has been outside come rain, shine and snow.

I have never had to wash the car. All it takes is a rain to make the car look like new. The black roof looks great. It's not a "wet look" anymore, but, it looks like I just applied a coat of wax.


And - - yes, I did own a black car once and it was everything listed in the OP. That was back in 1991. My wife was surprised when I bought the Kona because I swore no more black cars.

[Brian Runau]

Last 2 cars, gray, they hide all the dirt longer.

[John Ziebron]

Beige is the best color if you live on a gravel road.

[Jim Becker]

I'd never own a black car...not just because of thermal considerations, but also because I wouldn't want to have to wash the darn thing every other day. I only do light colors...current and immediate past is white. Doesn't show the dirt and only needs washed about once a month with my personal usage. I also despise black interiors...actually any dark interior, but sadly they tend to get forced on those of us who like to drive feature laiden top trim vehicles. I'm on my third in a row with a medium dark brown for seating areas 'cause that's the only option. Keeping the black parts clean is a hassle...our "dirt" is much lighter colored.

[Stan Calow]

Black is either the first or the second most popular color for cars in the US, depending on the source. I've had two black vehicles and didn't worry too much about the appearance. Nobody notices one more black SUV in the parking lot.

I always thought it was popular because it was tastefully subdued, and a sign of power and wealth.

Most of my previous vehicles were red or dark red. Wife convinced me that they were too visible to police, and thats why she always picks gray.

[Alan Rutherford]

In a very imprecise survey while waiting at a long light the other day I determined that cars around here only come in 2 colors - black and white - with very few exceptions. I don't know how many were black but I can't see the attraction, especially here in the Sunshine State. Right now my gray car is parked in the sun in front of the house with the windows and trunk open, waiting for the shade to move around. (It would have been red, but when we bought it the dealer had only 2 of what we wanted and I was out-voted by my wife.) Speaking of red, my unofficial survey saw about 1 red car out of every 50 and one blue or other color.

Neiighbor just had a lavish birthday party for a 4-year-old and nearly half of the cars belonging to parents at the party were red. That might say something about young couples - or not.

"Cars" also means pickup trucks of course.

[Andrew More]

There really aren't a lot of color options for cars. Black, Red, White, Silver, maybe Blue? So not surprised black is like 30%. Might be interesting to see what the break down is for the other colors.

Personally for me I noticed red vehicles, because both my mother and mother in law have virtually identical vehicles from different manufacturers with the same red paint job. They don't really talk, and don't know each other all that well, so it appears to be independent decisions.

[Mel Fulks]

The metallic colors didn’t hold up outside….but looked great in a neat garage ! With air conditioning any color is OK.
Henry Ford said “any color ,as long as it’s black”, and he sold a bunch of cars….without air conditioning.

[Rick Potter]

Ever wonder why Teslas are usually white? It's because they charge extra for other colors, really keeps the production line humming. Red is $2K extra, the least uptick is $1K for different than white. I suspect they wait until enough blue ones are ordered and then batch them too. Had to wait six weeks for a red one.

Hold the presses: Tesla just announced the standard color for Model Y's will now be charcoal. Don't know if white will be an additional standard color or not.

[Bill Dufour]

I remember years ago that Boeing offed 50 shades of white as standard plane colors. Or they would custom mix a different white to your specs.
Bill D

[Bruce Wrenn]

I remember years ago that Boeing offed 50 shades of white as standard plane colors. Or they would custom mix a different white to your specs.
Bill DBack in the seventies, Pittsburgh Paint offered ten thousand shades of white paint in their catalogue. That didn't include custom mixed shades

[Rob Luter]

I’ve owned white cars for years. I prefer them. I had to buy my last one off the lot (long story) and it was black. It stays clean and shiny within 100 yards of the car wash. I’ve adapted.

[Warren Lake]

there were lots of nice colours past on cars. Now bland and body styles to match. I was in the US years back first time I ever saw a Ferrari that was not red. Have no interest in red cars. Ferrari was Silver blue with a tan interior. It looked so nice had to cross the road to take a look at it. Vettes had Steel city grey, mostport green, laguna grey. Silver on a 63 split looked nice. I drive now and see tons of white teslas, they remind me of a visit to honda once and seeing all the employees in white suits on the line. I almost started laughing it was like Woodie Alen movie.

[Zachary Hoyt]

I have always bought used vehicles, so they were whatever color I got a good deal on. My current car is blue, and so was the bus I bought last year. Previous cars I have purchased were blue, brown/tan and white. I've also never taken a car to a car wash or washed it myself, other than to hose the massive amounts of sand off the undercarriage in April or so, and many years I forget to do that. I've never kept a car in a garage, and I live in rainy enough places that they stay reasonably clean most of the time from that.

[Jim Becker]

there were lots of nice colours past on cars. Now bland and body styles to match. I was in the US years back first time I ever saw a Ferrari that was not red. Have no interest in red cars. Ferrari was Silver blue with a tan interior. It looked so nice had to cross the road to take a look at it. Vettes had Steel city grey, mostport green, laguna grey. Silver on a 63 split looked nice. I drive now and see tons of white teslas, they remind me of a visit to honda once and seeing all the employees in white suits on the line. I almost started laughing it was like Woodie Alen movie.
There are actually some great colors offered on some vehicles...like Wranglers and Crosstreks and Porsches. It's a pet peeve of mine that vehicle manufacturers do not extend those nice colors to folks who buy other models in their lineups. I'm a fan of lighter, creamy colors (non metallic; non pearlcoat) but they just can't be had.

[Patty Hann]

.... I drive now and see tons of white teslas, they remind me of a visit to honda once and seeing all the employees in white suits on the line. I almost started laughing it was like Woodie Alen movie.

Too funny

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[Jim Koepke]

I always thought it was popular because it was tastefully subdued, and a sign of power and wealth.

So many law enforcement vehicles are black, it might make people in the area feel paranoid.

It makes me wonder if this is a regional thing. In my area there are a lot of colorful cars. Candy got excited not long ago about seeing a car that had a "dip" paint job. She told me those change color when seen from different angles or something.

One of our previous cars we used to keep dirty under the impression that a car thief taking a car to a chop shop would likely want to steel a clean car rather than a dirty one.

jtk

[Jim Becker]

SCandy got excited not long ago about seeing a car that had a "dip" paint job. She told me those change color when seen from different angles or something.


While it could be paint, it might also be a wrap which has become a lot more popular than full custom paint these days. Still very expensive, however. :)

[Lee DeRaud]

Ever wonder why Teslas are usually white? It's because they charge extra for other colors, really keeps the production line humming. Red is $2K extra, the least uptick is $1K for different than white. I suspect they wait until enough blue ones are ordered and then batch them too. Had to wait six weeks for a red one.
Heh. A running joke at my house is that at least half the Teslas ever sold are within a 10-mile radius, and at least 75% of those are white. It slapped us in the face a couple months back, driving to dinner, stopped at a light: white Tesla in front, behind, to the right, another turning right at the lefthand side street, another turning left from the opposite direction. We started keeping count, and, wherever we leave the house, we average seeing over one white Tesla per mile. (And that doesn't even count ones we see parked, just the ones actually moving. Don't get me started on the number of prime parking spaces at local businesses taken up by Superchargers.)

Regarding the 10-mile-radius thing: I suppose it's just a coincidence, but a much-beloved local movie theater two miles from here closed down in May. They've announced that the building will be repurposed...as a Tesla "store". ("Don't call it a 'dealership'." - Elon Musk)

[Andrew More]

Heh. A running joke at my house is that at least half the Teslas ever sold are within a 10-mile radius, and at least 75% of those are white.

I've had similar thought. OTOH I live in a city in Ohio where the median income is like $45K/year.

[Patty Hann]

Heh. A running joke at my house is that at least half the Teslas ever sold are within a 10-mile radius, and at least 75% of those are white. It slapped us in the face a couple months back, driving to dinner, stopped at a light: white Tesla in front, behind, to the right, another turning right at the lefthand side street, another turning left from the opposite direction. We started keeping count, and, wherever we leave the house, we average seeing over one white Tesla per mile. (And that doesn't even count ones we see parked, just the ones actually moving. Don't get me started on the number of prime parking spaces at local businesses taken up by Superchargers.)

Regarding the 10-mile-radius thing: I suppose it's just a coincidence, but a much-beloved local movie theater two miles from here closed down in May. They've announced that the building will be repurposed...as a Tesla "store". ("Don't call it a 'dealership'." - Elon Musk)

Most of the Teslas I see here are Black (or if they come in another dark color, that color).
Don't see too many white ones, which is kind of odd because, this being metro Phoenix , white usually predominates as the color of choice for cars and trucks.

[Tom M King]

When I knew I was going to school in South Florida, I bought a car with a white top and white interior. It was never hot. I would have a white interior now if they were available.

It only takes a few minutes to wash a car if you're set up for it. Our vehicles have been white forever.

[Bob Turkovich]

While it could be paint, it might also be a wrap which has become a lot more popular than full custom paint these days. Still very expensive, however. :)

The Chrysler Pacifica is offered in a Fathom Blue paint (which I currently have) that looks like a dark teal in the sunlight and a deep navy blue under cloudy conditions. It was in production from 2021 thru 2023 but being discontinued for 2024. Added cost to sticker price was about $400.

[Jim Becker]

I would have a white interior now if they were available.

Non EV...Subaru Ascent Limited's Ivory option is nearly white.

EV...Tesla's available interior is nearly blindingly white.

[Jim Becker]

The Chrysler Pacifica is offered in a Fathom Blue paint (which I currently have) that looks like a dark teal in the sunlight and a deep navy blue under cloudy conditions. It was in production from 2021 thru 2023 but being discontinued for 2024. Added cost to sticker price was about $400.
Many pearlcoats have this effect. The Grand Cherokee I drove between 2012 and 2019 in "Winter Chill"...a light metallic pearl blue...changed colors with light a whole bunch. MOPAR has had a lot of paint colors like that. But there are some amazing paints available that will vary from green through purples, depending on the way light hits them and that effect is also sometimes had with certain (very expensive) wraps.

[Zachary Hoyt]

As a colorblind person I get the free version of this, where lots of things look like they are different colors depending on the light. When I am working with walnut sometimes it looks red to me, and sometimes gray, and sometimes purple. When I was staining the workshop the stain looked barn red or chocolate brown to me depending on the light.

It also sometimes goes the other way. The farm where I worked for many years had (when I first moved there) an eggplant colored van and a blue/green pickup. I thought they were both dark blue for about the first year I was there.

[Tom M King]

Lee if half of them are there, the other half are here around the lake. I never get on the road without seeing one, and that includes in Winter when there is little traffic around here.

[glenn bradley]

Sunny SoCal. Black pickup. Ninth circle of hell. Parked in the garage with a cover on it to keep it clean. Never again.

[Scott Winners]

I have owned three black cars in my life. 2004 Pontiac GTO.

First, last, only.

When it was clean it was the best looking car on the road. Ten minutes later with a bit of dust and a couple grains of pollen, it looked liked camel hoof. Never again.

[Warren Lake]

Patty, yes exactly.

[Jim Becker]

As a colorblind person I get the free version of this, where lots of things look like they are different colors depending on the light. When I am working with walnut sometimes it looks red to me, and sometimes gray, and sometimes purple. When I was staining the workshop the stain looked barn red or chocolate brown to me depending on the light.

It also sometimes goes the other way. The farm where I worked for many years had (when I first moved there) an eggplant colored van and a blue/green pickup. I thought they were both dark blue for about the first year I was there.

That could make for some pretty interesting banjos! LOL :D

[Ron Selzer]

according to SWMBO orange is the best color.
2015 Ford Mustang bought new and driven until an idiot ran a stop sign and she t-boned him, had a 105k miles, ran fine, no body damage, until this

[Zachary Hoyt]

That could make for some pretty interesting banjos! LOL :D

Ain't that the truth? My policy is that I do not stain anything or alter its natural color in any way, except that I will color things solid black with Fiebing's Leather Dye if the customer wants that. Sometimes I send people unfinished but set up instruments so they can take them apart, stain and finish, and reassemble. It also means I can't do much with repairs, since so much of that (up to half the work according to some repair people) is color matching the repair to the surrounding wood.

[Jim Becker]

according to SWMBO orange is the best color.
She'll love the new WRX...it has "orange orange" available.

[Alan Lightstone]

Heh. A running joke at my house is that at least half the Teslas ever sold are within a 10-mile radius, and at least 75% of those are white. It slapped us in the face a couple months back, driving to dinner, stopped at a light: white Tesla in front, behind, to the right, another turning right at the lefthand side street, another turning left from the opposite direction. We started keeping count, and, wherever we leave the house, we average seeing over one white Tesla per mile. (And that doesn't even count ones we see parked, just the ones actually moving. Don't get me started on the number of prime parking spaces at local businesses taken up by Superchargers.)


Regarding the 10-mile-radius thing: I suppose it's just a coincidence, but a much-beloved local movie theater two miles from here closed down in May. They've announced that the building will be repurposed...as a Tesla "store". ("Don't call it a 'dealership'." - Elon Musk)
My two Teslas have been blue. Terrible paint jobs on those, BTW. Way too soft. I used to detail high-end cars, and really miss some of the paint jobs on good ones. Try to find a car in a parking lot without orange peel. Good luck with that.

Even with blue, not black, I've had the car register 145°F while sitting in the sun. Ah, sunny Florida.

Best colors / paint jobs I've ever had on cars were a silver on a Porsche and this stunning bronzish silver on a Lexus. Both hid dirt like crazy, and looked great. Really miss those colors.

[Cameron Wood]

I started thinking about the impact of higher A/C use. Somewhat complicated, but this gives a range:



There's a lot of conflicting information out there, generally anywhere from 1%-25% affect on fuel consumption. That wide range can be attributed to the second part of your question: different cars definitely have different a/c efficiencies, based on:



Size of Compressor


2. RPM of engine/compressor

3. Size/efficiency of vehicle engine

4. Size/Windows/insulation of vehicle

5. Humidity of air outside

6. Temperature of air outside and sunshine

7. Temperature/humidity of desired air inside

8. Whether on recirculation or not

9. System design for high temperature humidity control
Source (https://www.quora.com/Does-running-the-AC-in-your-car-really-burn-gas)

US EPA notes that running the air conditioner in very hot weather can increase your fuel consumption by up to 25%.
Source (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/how-much-does-the-ac-affect-fuel-mileage)

“We found that on an 85-degree day, running the A/C can reduce fuel economy by 1 to 4 mpg, depending on the car."
Source (https://www.consumerreports.org/fuel-economy-efficiency/fuel-economy-face-off-driving-with-windows-open-or-ac-running/)

in 2012, Consumer Reports tested a Honda Accord and found mileage dropping by about 3 miles per gallon when the air conditioner was used and when the car was going 65 miles per hour.
Source (http://www.auto.edu/blog/does-running-your-car-air-conditioning-burn-more-gas/)

In a similar test performed by Edmunds using a Toyota Tundra, they saw a decrease in fuel mileage of almost 10% when using the air conditioner as opposed to driving with the windows down and the air conditioner off.
Source (https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/r/advice/car-maintenance/common-ac-and-fuel-efficiency-myths-debunked)

The SAE found that running an air conditioner in an automobile decreased gas mileage by 5 to 10%.

[Lee DeRaud]

Best colors / paint jobs I've ever had on cars were a silver on a Porsche and this stunning bronzish silver on a Lexus. Both hid dirt like crazy, and looked great. Really miss those colors.
Which Porsche "silver"? As I recall, in 2000 (the year of my Boxster) they had four standard colors in the silver/light-metallic-gray range. The previous car to that was a platinum gold Acura. As you say, both looked clean unless I managed to drive through mud, which isn't all that easy to do here.

[Alan Lightstone]

Which Porsche "silver"? As I recall, in 2000 (the year of my Boxster) they had four standard colors in the silver/light-metallic-gray range. The previous car to that was a platinum gold Acura. As you say, both looked clean unless I managed to drive through mud, which isn't all that easy to do here.
I can't remember it's exact name, 1986 Porsche 944 Turbo. So an eternity ago. Actually, looking up possibilities, I remember it was also a golden color, not silver. I think the paint color was Platin Metallic.
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Truly hid dirt like crazy, as I had no time to wash it. And it lived outside.

[Bert McMahan]

I'm always shocked at how many people want the black versions of anything (cars included). I always prefer something more colorful if I can get it. I think a lot of people just think black versions of stuff look cooler, like it's giving off a "military" or "hardcore" vibe.

[Zachary Hoyt]

That's interesting for sure. I always wonder why so many people wear black clothes, especially in the summer.

[Patty Hann]

I'm always shocked at how many people want the black versions of anything (cars included). I always prefer something more colorful if I can get it. I think a lot of people just think black versions of stuff look cooler, like it's giving off a "military" or "hardcore" vibe.

Bingo.


That's interesting for sure. I always wonder why so many people wear black clothes, especially in the summer.

Black clothing also attracts insects; typically the "weaponized" types: bees and mosquitoes, as well as flies.

[Alan Rutherford]

... I always wonder why so many people wear black clothes, especially in the summer.

If you've spent any time in the Middle East you've seen a lot of black clothes worn by people who you would think would know what works for them.

Re AC: I believe there's some loss in MPG with the wiindows down. That would offset some inefficiency from the AC. Regardless, my windows are up and the AC is on this time of year.

FWIW, I left a thermometer in my dark gray car parked in full sun the other day and with an air temperature of 98 the car went to 122. That's away from the sun inside the car. I'm sure some surfaces were hotter. I expected more.

[Rick Potter]

Turns out 'dog mode' is pretty handy, even without pets in the car. We were going to use it to save some chocolates from a gooey death while shopping.

Turned out, when we got to Costco it was so crowded we just went home. 'Chocolate mode' remains untested.

[Bruce Page]

I had a black 1960 T-bird when I was a teenager. It was a cool car but a pain to keep clean and the AC technology back then was not great. That was my only black vehicle. I wish I still had it today.

[Mike Soaper]

If you've spent any time in the Middle East you've seen a lot of black clothes worn by people who you would think would know what works for them.

It puzzled me in the movie Laurence of Arabia why Omar Sharif would wear heat/light absorbing black when riding a horse across the shimmering hot desert towards Peter O'Tool at the well.

If I recall correctly according to a physics forum post the heat absorbed by the black loose fitting cloth heats the air on the body side of the cloth, this causes the warm air between the cloth and body to rise and escape out of the top of the loose fitting clothing/robe? this then causes cooler air to be drawn at the bottom of the loose clothes, like a chimney effect. Part of the incoming moving air goes next to the body relatively cooling it.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

My soon-to-be-delivered Maverick pickup will be grey outside with black seats.
I didn't order black seats, and for 2 reasons, I plan on getting fabric seat covers: One, Seat covers are less expensive than replacing the seat corners, and two; I've suffered with black seats on my previous car and know how "smutzik" (dirty to everyone else) they constantly look.

[Patty Hann]

It puzzled me in the movie Laurence of Arabia why Omar Sharif would wear heat/light absorbing black when riding a horse across the shimmering hot desert towards Peter O'Tool at the well.

If I recall correctly according to a physics forum post the heat absorbed by the black loose fitting cloth heats the air on the body side of the cloth, this causes the warm air between the cloth and body to rise and escape out of the top of the loose fitting clothing/robe? this then causes cooler air to be drawn at the bottom of the loose clothes, like a chimney effect. Part of the incoming moving air goes next to the body relatively cooling it.

But then Lawrence and also Faisal (Alec Guinness) are fully decked out in white.
Go figure...

[Alan Lightstone]

Turns out 'dog mode' is pretty handy, even without pets in the car. We were going to use it to save some chocolates from a gooey death while shopping.

Turned out, when we got to Costco it was so crowded we just went home. 'Chocolate mode' remains untested.
I just use the "Keep" mode, not the "Dog" mode. Use it all the time down here in Florida. Especially with heat index over 110 most days the past month.

[Jim Becker]

My soon-to-be-delivered Maverick pickup will be grey outside with black seats.
I didn't order black seats, and for 2 reasons, I plan on getting fabric seat covers: One, Seat covers are less expensive than replacing the seat corners, and two; I've suffered with black seats on my previous car and know how "smutzik" (dirty to everyone else) they constantly look.
Just make sure that the seat covers you purchase are compatible with any airbags that are physically installed in the seats. Side-airbags are commonly "in the seats".

[Rich Konopka]

Maybe they are all Uber Black drivers? Uber requires all Uber Black cars to be Black cars with Black leather interior. 😝🤓