I know this has been discussed in many different threads but I think it would be better to organize everyone's opinions in one location- more so for my own convenience .

I am trying to decide which color I would like to get (No this is not another one of those what color is the best thread)....currently I torn between black and blue onyx. I am also really a big fan of the crystal white, SGM, and somewhat of a fan of the Matador Red. I hear that the darker colors are hard to "keep up" but I was just wondering to what degree is this true? Is the Blue easier to keep up than the black? Is it a big enough problem (or probably more appropriate, hassle) that I should go with one of the lighter colors? Please let me know your thought, opinions, and suggestions because this will be my first car and thus my first time choosing colors and such. I am new to this!

Thanks

 

Typically, but not always, darker colors expose dust, streaks, and water spots. Lighter colors hide these as dust, streaks, and water spots are whitish-gray in hue. That's all there is to it.

Now, depending on how you clean and maintain your car, you can prevent streaks and water spots through waxing/polishing/etc. If you don't like cleaning your car often, you may be annoyed by how "dirty" a dark colored car may look in a few days.

I used to own a white car and only washed it every other week. I did however clean the windows and mirrors at least once a week. My sister's black car needs (and I say needs) to be cleaned every week, and sometimes immediately when it gets water spots, if she wanted it to look sharp.

 

Thanks that helps out a lot. I just have heard people say things about black like "looks great new, but gets dirty fast and chips/dents are much more noticable." I guess it just is up to me- if I want my car to look good I got to take care of it as much as necessary.

 

Yes darker colors to me seem to get dirtier faster. You can easily see pollon and dirt on the surfaces. My previous white car can hide it well, you'd be surprised by how much dirt is actually on it. But I say go for the color that you like best. I had a white car before, so I wanted to try something darker this time around. I got the Blue Onyx. You can see my pics in the IS350 gallery.

 

yup, ultimately depends on how often you like to clean your car and how clean you like it to look. if you don't want to spend your saturdays making it like-new, then you should consider a lighter color. if you're the type that will let the car sit dirty for couple weeks and it doesn't bother you, then either one is ok. if you can't stand to see swirl marks or dirt, then go light.

i started off with black cars, but over time the cleaning and maintenance to keep it looking good was too much. i could do it, but i value my time doing other things now that i'm older!

and i do think dark cars show everything, dings, swirl marks, dust, water marks, etc. a lot more than lighter cars. we have the new glacier frost on the GS and it gets compliments for being so clean looking, even when we haven't washed it for more than a month it fools everybody!