markyboy

What color did you pick? And why?

My thoughts
Black - in calgary too hard to keep clean (i have a black honda odyssey and it is a nightmare to keep clean)
Blue onyx - my wife does not like it, probably hard to keep clean
Red - too burgandy looking
Glacier frost - loved the pics on the internet... in reality, cloudy weather makes it look like primer
Crystal white - beautiful, but kinda more upscale than sporty... i like sporty

which leaves me with
Smokey granite mica - easier to keep clean than black? maybe
Tungsten pearl - love it ... but .... everyone and their dog has that color...not very unique

I am just looking for some opinions from people in canada who know what it is like to try and keep a car clean with our ever changing weather

What color hides rock chips best?
What color is easiest to keep looking clean?

For the record I don't mind cleaning my car. I just hate to see waterspots.

picus

Let's see if I can help. I have only ever owned black cars, but I detail different colors every day. I would say of the ones you seem to be leaning towards Tungsten Pearl is definitely the easiest to keep clean, looks clean almost all the time, hides rock chips the best, and won't show water spots as much - however as you mentioned it's incredibly popular and frankly, kind of boring.

SGM is a nice compromise of black and silver. You get the "amost black" look in the shade, and it is quite striking in the sun (it's a very well done metallic), however it will show rock chips and may show some swirling. Not nearly as bad as black, though. A nice benefit is that since it is a metallic it will hide some imperfections just be virtue of its visual properties.

CW - like any white it will hide imperfections and rock chips well, but can start to look dirty rather easily when it gets some road grime or salt on it.

Taking black out of the equation (since I'm a masochist) I would personally be in a similar position to you, choosing between SMG and white. I think I would lean towards SGM just because it's such a beautifully done metallic and it looks very sporty (and almost like black) in some light. Another consideration is "how good you can make it look" with sealants/waxes and so on. SGM is definitely easier to visual enhance with waxes and sealants. It's second only to black in "wetness" and reflectivity. White can have a nice glow, but in general clean white cars look like clean white cars - not a lot of distinction.

I hope this helps and doesn't further confuse the issue.

markyboy

After much debate and a couple of days to think about it. I went to the dealer this morning (sunny day) and was going to choose between Tungsten and SGM.
My salesmen washed up a Tungsten, SGM and Crystal White, there was even a black one next to them.

My final opinion:
Tungsten is kinda boring and blends too much with all of the honda civic coupe's and RSX's out there.
The SGM is beautiful if you like dark colors, I would choose this color over the black it has a great metallic look under the sun and is dark enough to pass for black under some lights.
but...
When he pulled the Crystal white one up... the decision was made.
This color is sharp! It has a beautiful pearl look which makes the agressive lines on the car really stand out. I had thought at first that the color looked too 'old man' ish' but I think that is because I was looking at the GS in the showroom (not that the GS is an old man's car)

After a few minutes when the water started to dry on the vehicles I could see water marks on the SGM but could not find any on the CW, not to say that they were not there just that it hides them better.
After lots of debate I am so happy to have ordered a is350 crystal white/black interior and the full load ML/Nav

UberNoob

which car are you buying?

i think we are lucky here that the air quality in canada is pretty good compared to cities like LA
when i was down there, water spots are all grey because the rain drops are so dirty

here in vancouver at least, water spots arent too much of a problem

silver is the easiest to keep clean generally
but i like white nowadays
shows a certain level of elegance and outlines the curves of the car a bit more

SGM is only good on cars like Jetta and passat IMO
all sorts of titanium or dolphin grey some how means trying to upscale a car that isnt there
with the exception of Porsche 911 S's dark grey, looks great on that car as my gf's cousin just got one not long ago

anyways, i like Tan for interior
black leather is kind of the thing of the past IMO

markyboy

I ordered a Crystal White is350 with ml/nav
I too like white, it is sporty yet classy and it brings out the lines on the car.
I got the black interior.

My question to Canadian owners.

What happened between the time you placed your order until you actually got the car?
I ordered mine last week and was told that it was a "June build and a July delivery".
Will they get back to me and let me know more details? Should I wait or call them for more information?
Thanks

UberNoob

congrats!

nice car

dont worry about whether to call them or not
they will just contact u when its time

if u are anxious, doesnt hurt to call them either
lexus is known to have super friendly service

post pics when u get ur car!

markyboy

Thanks... cant wait to get it

Anyone notice how bad Crystal white looks in pictures and how good Glacier Frost looks.

I was so in love with GFM when I saw in on the internet but when I saw it at the dealership it looked nothing like the pictures on the internet. It was dull, too many sparkles, it had a purple and blue metallic look, very femanine.
On the other hand Crystal white looks kinda boring in pictures, kinda plain.
But in reality Crystal white has a great pearl look that is both classy and sporty.

Is white a difficult color to capture on camera?
GFM and Crystal are not what they appear on the internet so if anyone is interested go and see them in person.

UberNoob

well then
bring ur car to my place and ill test drive it when u get it
hehehehe