Exterior Color Pros and Cons

[zathrak]

I'm my quest for a new vibe, I have decided that I am basically going to get White, Black, or Silver. Having said that, I would like to know how everyone feels about these colors. I originally wanted black on black due to the sharp lines and sexy blackness. However, I was concerned that all of my highway driving will merit white scratch marks everywhere on the nose. I thought white was also very sharp and will likely take a beating moreso than black will, but then I was wondering about the dirt factor, along side the fact that in our SW Michigan blizzards, I may get ran in to. I also assume silver is the most durable and maintenance free of the 3...yeah it seems kind of boring and mediocre. Any opinions or experiences?

[VforVIBE]

Go with black, nothing shines like it. White to me is bland, silver is okay, but black pops. With black or white cars, you'll have to keep them both clean if you want them looking their best. You only live once, choose the best looking color, which is not necessarily going to be the easiest to to keep clean.

[lowincash]

i agree, black looks awsome when it's clean.blackpros: looks sexy when clean, looks mean, looks good, shines like no other when clean, and looks good with dark tint.cons: gets dirty really fast, absorbs heat (when parked under the sun it gets very hot to the touch)i had white before and it's not bad. just felt like going to the dark side this time haha

[Silversn95]

I'm not a fan of the white one, looks like a rolling fridge to me. Black looks great but will be a pain in the (removed) to keep clean (I've had two black cars so I know by experience). Silver I like, I have one now and it really does keep a clean appearance longer than a dark colour car plus it stays cooler in the summer sun. You could always split the difference between black and silver and get the gray one. While on the topic of colours, I saw what looked like the sundance metallic matrix colour on a vibe at the dealership today. Didn't look too bad if you were into bright colours.

[ClunkClunk]

We have two Abyss black Vibes, and two Frosty on Grey Vibes.Personally, I'm not a fan of either really. The black looks really sharp when it's clean, but since neither of our black ones are garaged regularly, they're rarely clean for more than a few days at a time. Furthermore, the thin Toyota paint makes chips and scratches show up. My girl's 2007 still looks fairly good, but my sister's 2003 is showing a bit of wear and tear.The whites are very trouble free, as white is pretty resistant to dirt, and scratches rarely show up. The grey cladding is very Pontiac-looking, but is resistant to your day to day parking lot dings and scratches.When I was looking for a Vibe a few months ago, the color that was the lowest on my list was an all white Vibe. They look like the Maytag guy should be fixing them instead of mechanics. Something about all white makes them look really tall. My two tone white was a fairly nice compromise, though if I had bought mine new and could choose the color, I'd probably pick something else.What I really wanted was the darker silver color (Moonstone, I think) with a the grey cladding. I've seen a few around town like that and they look really nice, plus the grey cladding isn't as prone to scratching.I'm not sure if you're getting an 03 to 08 or an 09, so some of my mentions of the cladding may have zero importance to you

[SeattleJeremy]

Go with Black or White. Before I bought my Silver Vibe I never had trouble seeing my car in a parking lot. One time I was walking though the parking structure next to my office, and I didn't know where my car was, so I clicked the unlock button, and the sudden flash of yellow startled me so much I jumped. I was standing in front of my car, and didn't even know it. Silver = worst color ever.

[Mavrik]

if you do a lot of driving, get that 3m clear car armor protection put on the front of your car.

[808 Vibes]

What's wrong with blue? LOL

[zathrak]

Ahhh good. Well as I said I was originally looking at the '09 FWD Vibe GT in Black on Black. I'm glad others have said this isn't a bad choice. I also agree that getting that 3m clear coat protection stuff is probably a good idea...what's the cost on this? I've had one dealership say they'd include it. So it seems Black or White is the way to go...while keeping in mind that white looks like a rolling refrigerator lol.

[keithvibe]

what no red choice?? boooooo

[lowincash]

yeah red is a nice choice too. the 09 gt in red looks pretty good. for the 09 gt i think black, blue and the red looks nice

[18stars]

I'm normally not a big fan of white cars but I actually think the vibe looks pretty sharp in white.

[Vibe2009]

I dont see a lot of white vibe around?I consider white when I was shipping for my vibe, but decided on Red, thinking I am not exactly young and if I dont buy a red now, I will look funny driving a red later ten years from now... LoLI know two guys driving a black Mazda 3... they both regret buying black! As is super hard to keep clean... Looks real good after you polish it!

[jake75]

I am not as picky about colors as I once was - but red has always been my favorite. I had a 1977 red Buick Estate Wagon. I was in a funeral procession one day and there was a little boy watching us go by. I heard him say to his mother, "Is that the fire chief!".

[vibolista]

I love Black on most cars. If any color is going to improve the looks of a car, it's Black. Metalic Red is OK, and so is White. I hate Black. On any car, because it causes a lot of work. Black stays clean about a full nano second or two. Dust, any color other than Black, shows up right away. If you don't clean Black with a lot of respect, you'll see nasty swirl marks on the finish in bright light. I've owned a Black '93 Honda Civic Coupe EX/O since '93. It's a toy of sorts, and I hate the color, because it causes a lot of work, but I wouldn't own it in any other color. Careful what you wish for. Choose wisely!

[zathrak]

I suppose black isn't a big deal if you don't care about dirt so much? I expect the thing will be dirty...As for the 3m clearcoat, can that be applied after 8500 miles...ie...if I bought it used, should I not care about the clear coat...or would it still do me good?

[vibolista]

Any paint protection will help at almost any stage of a car's life. You want to repaint any of the stone chips as soon as possible to keep rust from taking over, unless you live in the driest desert. You could just put a full nose bra on the car if it's used, but the space between the bra and the car needs to be cleaned fairly frequently to prevent nasty damage to the paint. If you get a black car and let the dirt pile on, it will look pretty bad. If you aren't that concerned with a clean car, then get a color that matches up with the local dirt, so it won't look as dirty between washes. Around here where I drive, any tan/ gold metalic/ sand/ light silver/ gray is great for camouflaging dirt. The worst ones that show every bit of dirt are black, dark blue, dark green. The shade of metalic red and a moonstone/ medium dark gray type color offered on the Vibe falls somewhere in the middle. White will show tar and anything dark that spatters up on it. Tar left on a white car a long time can eventually stain the paint under some conditions .

[VibeBear]

Black is always a hot colour on a car, but it is a ***** to keep clean (so is carbon grey I've found)When I bought my car I had 3 to choose from (with the options I wanted). Carbon Grey, Liquid Platinum or Red Hot metallic. I had originally went with the Liquid Platinum, until i saw the carbon grey.... silver would've been easier to keep clean.Of course if they still put Fusion Orange on these cars, I woulda went with that

[shemp]

Here's my $0.02:Black: I think it looks the best clean, but is also the hardest to keep clean. It look especially good on cars that have character-lines, like the '09 vibe does. It absorbs the most heat, so if you hate getting in a hot car in the summer, keep that in mind.White: It doesn't look as dirty when it's dirty, but also doesn't look as clean when it's clean (arguably). White absorbs the least heat of all colors, which is why you see so many of them in Florida. IMHO, the '09 Vibe's rear window looks too small from outside the vehicle, and lighter colors call attention to it.Silver: Easiest to keep clean, and absorbs little heat. If it has a lot of metal flake in it, it looks great on cars with defined character lines too. The only downside I've heard for Silver is that it is the hardest color to paint-match, so if you wrinkle up a fender and have to replace it, it may not match the rest of the car exactly. Personally, I really like the darker silver on the Vibe ("Graphite Metallic" or something) In the end, there's no wrong answer among your choices, so I'm sure you'll be happy with whichever you choose. Good luck, and enjoy!

[lowincash]

yup black car gets very hot inside when parked on a hot sunny day. when i first bought the car and didn't have tint yet, it was super hot on summer days. but after having it tinted and when parked i have the custom fitted windshield sun shade up and the sunroof cracked open to let the heat out, the heat inside that car isn't as bad. now if you also have the window slightly cracked open then it'll let even more heat out. so in the end it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought lolthere are times i wish i had the red one tho. they look pretty nice. but red stands out too much and i sort of just wants to blend in with the crowd =D i had a red honda accord coupe before and it stands out too much, but it's easy to find in a parking lot for sure lol

[zathrak]

With regards to the 3m clear coat, is this the best option for paint protection? Where do I get this done at? How much does that type of thing cost on a Vibe?

[ColonelPanic]

Ugh, black looks good (for a minute) but goes downhill quick. I'll never do that again. Swirl marks, scratches, water spots, etc. etc. etc. I find a suitable replacement is a dark metallic gray. Shine it up and it looks great like a black car would, but it doesn't have as much of the other baggage that comes along with the black car. I guess if I had to choose between black, white, or silver I'd go for white. I've owned three white cars, really liked 'em. It does look a little weird on the new Vibes though,mainly from behind due to the shape of the rear window.

[djkeev]

A nice black paint job is a thing of beauty. That same paint job 3 years later after the ravages of real life are thrust upon the poor car and the black looks tired, every little scratch not only shows but screams "I HAVE BEEN SCRATCHED!!Even little minor dings in the doors is very easy to see as are the imperfections, swirl marks, etc in the clear coat from poorly applied polish and wax.I love NEW black cars.I would NEVER buy a used black car ever nor would I want to own an older black car.So........I drive Salsa instead! I would have gone for the dark grey metallic but red won.Save the black for show cars and those with gobs of extra time to clean and dust their cars daily. They also park as far away from anything as they can to prevent any dings on the body!I believe the scratch shield is a thin film of plastic that is applied over your paint, similar to what has been applied to behind the wheels on many cars for decades. It is a clear Bra. hmmmm hold your comments guys!It will over time get rather ratty from the rocks and need to be replaced. It MINIMIZES damage, it does no totally prevent it by any means.I understand it is a chore to remove when the day comes and you may need a repaint even then if the damage was severe enough over time.It stops the small chips, the bigger ones just tear through the product.Here's some online material prices.http://www.nextlevelride.com/s...-2009/Dave