Most durable paint- stock
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Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3
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From: Texas
Most durable paint- stock
I'm in the first efforts of educating myself on SCs, looking to buy one as a DD in the near future. I'm saturating on pinned posts and reading through treads. So far I'm feeling really good about this plan, hahaha. Perhaps my search terms are off but I'm not finding any talk on this. I want to buy the nicest stock car I can.
Of the factory colors, should any be avoided? What are the most durable factory colors now that they are older cars?
Diamond White Pearl
Platinum Metallic
Renaissance Red
Imperial Jade Mica
Thanks!
Of the factory colors, should any be avoided? What are the most durable factory colors now that they are older cars?
Diamond White Pearl
Platinum Metallic
Renaissance Red
Imperial Jade Mica
Thanks!
Define durable?
The light metallic colors will always hold up better because odds are they are not getting buffed twice a year like black cars or soft paints like the red/dark green/ or anything dark that shows swirl marks and scratches easily.
The onyx black will be easily the softest and most difficult paint to maintain. People get them buffed often and every time they do, the paint becomes thinner and thinner so the clearcoat is more prone to failure early on on those darker colors.
The light metallic colors will always hold up better because odds are they are not getting buffed twice a year like black cars or soft paints like the red/dark green/ or anything dark that shows swirl marks and scratches easily.
The onyx black will be easily the softest and most difficult paint to maintain. People get them buffed often and every time they do, the paint becomes thinner and thinner so the clearcoat is more prone to failure early on on those darker colors.
Thread Starter
Driver School Candidate
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 3
Likes: 0
From: Texas
I didn't think of it as you laid it out but that's a great insight. The colors that are taken in for detail most often. Thanks for commenting!
My question is coming from a paranoid view of buying a 20yo car. I hope to buy something that won't be surprising me with bad paint in short order down the road.
I bought a low mileage FC from the original owner with really nice looking factory white paint. Due to the difference in storage and environment, it started to die really quickly after! This is not directly applicable but still feeds my need to ask, hahaha. Seems like with the Mazda, Red had a habit of getting brittle and flaking off as well. My wife bought a 99 Accord new, the dark green metallic. This paint killed the clear coat even with regular care, and it only took 6-7 years...
My question is coming from a paranoid view of buying a 20yo car. I hope to buy something that won't be surprising me with bad paint in short order down the road.
I bought a low mileage FC from the original owner with really nice looking factory white paint. Due to the difference in storage and environment, it started to die really quickly after! This is not directly applicable but still feeds my need to ask, hahaha. Seems like with the Mazda, Red had a habit of getting brittle and flaking off as well. My wife bought a 99 Accord new, the dark green metallic. This paint killed the clear coat even with regular care, and it only took 6-7 years...
Sandstone beige is by far the best color for longevity. I have a trunk from another SC on my car for the wing, one of my quarter panels was repainted due to an accident and everything matches. PERFECTLY.
It's even good when your own body guy is stunned that panels match so well.
It's even good when your own body guy is stunned that panels match so well.
Gold and silver will hold up and look best. You'd think white, but after every rock chip and scratch is counted white looks as bad as anything else if not worse. To be pretty white must be clean.
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The issue with white is all the contaminants and dirt show right away so it's hard to keep it clean. If you are religious about doing a thorough wash on your white car every weekend, white is extremely easy to maintain in the long run.
Beige/tan metallic just gives the illusion that it's cleaner when in reality it just hides all the specs in the paint that would otherwise stick out like a sore thumb on a white car.
We had a beige/light gold Avalon in the family for 10 years and it was one of the easiest to maintain. Similar to our current light gold Sienna. Car never looks dirty unless you go 5 months without washing it.
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Pole Position
Joined: Sep 2011
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From: Nor CA
My experience with our '92 (which was repainted in 2013) had to do with how the car was stored and maintained. Once the car went to the son (in '04) who had no garage and kept it outside the paint on the roof was breaking down upon it's return in 2011. All depends on the care given to the car as the Lexus paint is one of the best vehicles out there for longevity. Poorly stored and not well maintained it will begin to show signs of failure.
Platinum metallic always looks clean and the paint keeps its shape phenominally well, but if you mess up a panel it will need to be resprayed and blended as it shows mismatches like crazy.
They all peel, regardless of color! I saw silver one it was pretty bad, my red one was peeling when I bough it, so I started sanding some of it because I was tired if looking at it.
dont be afraid of the color, get what you like, you can have it resprayed it's not expensive or that hard if you have the gun and the compressor
dont be afraid of the color, get what you like, you can have it resprayed it's not expensive or that hard if you have the gun and the compressor
was it 2002 SC500? lol jk
I also believe the heat from the sun causes more damage than anything, keepin it in the garage and washing it less makes the paint not only last longer, but also slows down the rust progress weather it's on the body or the frame rails, everything else can be substituted!
I also believe the heat from the sun causes more damage than anything, keepin it in the garage and washing it less makes the paint not only last longer, but also slows down the rust progress weather it's on the body or the frame rails, everything else can be substituted!
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