# What Color and Why ?



## Mantis (Sep 7, 2004)

Ok,

what is your favorite color and why ? 

I like the white, Silver , Blue then Black. I bought a Black car but man is it extremely hard to keep nice . 

When she is clean and waxed, she looks awesome, when she igets just a bit of dust , she looks aweful.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

The color you like best is entirely a visceral thing.

The color you choose is usually a balance of what you like, what's available, and what you can take care of. Black usually has low scores on the last.


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## RandyB (Mar 4, 2003)

*How boring...*

LOL, j/k! 

I like Bright Red and Yellow. Local law enforcement be damned...


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## Mantis (Sep 7, 2004)

Yeah I love the red. I wonder how well Red holds up. Does it show off every little thing?

I never owned a red car before.


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## The Roadstergal (Sep 7, 2002)

Red's not bad for hiding swirl marks and dirt. But it shows pollen. White, silver, and grey are easier.


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## WILLIA///M (Apr 15, 2002)

I like red.


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## car_for_mom (Jul 15, 2002)

I love *blue* Bimmers, especially TopasBlau (ret.), Mystic Blue, Laguna Seca Blue (ret.), Orient Blue (looks black in certain conditions), Steel Blue.

I've gotten a lot of compliments on my TopasBlau Bimmer; silver and black are the most common colors in SoCal!

I don't see a lot of *green* Bimmers, and the ones I do see are usually Grey Green Metallic. I could see myself in a Brunswick Green Bimmer; that color has fond memories for me because it reminds me of the Pennsylvania Railroad (yes, I'm *old* enough to remember the Pennsylvania Railroad  ) GG1 locomotives in Brunswick Green with the yellow pinstripes.


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## SARAFIL (Feb 19, 2003)

car_for_mom said:


> I love *blue* Bimmers, especially TopasBlau (ret.), Mystic Blue, Laguna Seca Blue (ret.), Orient Blue (looks black in certain conditions), Steel Blue.


I love blue, too!

Our X3 is Bluewater, which is an interesting alternative to the all to common Silver. Very pale blue, almost looks silver-ish in some conditions.

My 318ti is Alaska Blue, which is a deep blue that almost looks purple when clean and in direct sunlight. It's a unique shade of blue, and I have yet to see another color like it.

I also like Topaz, and really like Mystic Blue. Our E46 is painted in Silver, but if I could do it again, and the color had been available, I would have definately considered Mystic Blue. It has amazing depth that you see when clean.


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## Jim H (Feb 9, 2004)

SARAFIL said:


> I love blue, too!
> 
> Our X3 is Bluewater, which is an interesting alternative to the all to common Silver. Very pale blue, almost looks silver-ish in some conditions.
> 
> ...


My favorite _current_ color is Mystic Blue (I'll have my new car in that color in just over 2 weeks), mostly because of its resemblence to Topaz. My e30 is Royal Blue as well. Of course black BMWs are beautiful, so long as you take care of them.

Also, as others have already pointed out, color is DEFinitely a matter of opinion.


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## drpahjee (Jan 17, 2002)

imola red


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## mishka (Oct 5, 2004)

Silver Gray is my color. Unlike with dark colors, the car doesn't look too bad when dirty.


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## RSPDiver (Jul 14, 2004)

Is it the car or the colors? I honestly don't know if BMW does a bad color, other than mabye Phoenix Yellow. A little too bling for me.


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

Mantis said:


> When she is clean and waxed, she looks awesome, when she igets just a bit of dust , she looks aweful.


 I guess you can figure out what my favority color is by looking at my sig.

You need to get on of these, a California Duster. It will do magic to your dusty car. It is available at Target.


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## schreck (Jul 29, 2004)

Mystic Blue, Silver Gray, Silver :thumbup:


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## machmeter (Aug 6, 2002)

Mora. To match my hair.


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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

Mystic,(or topaz) because it's the color that made me fall in love with an ugly automobile.

Black looks awesome.....but ONLY when clean. It's bottom of list when dirty.

Silver Gray is just plain nice. The new "in" color.


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## r2saint (Feb 3, 2003)

*if I had known better...*

I did Euro Delivery - special order colors generally aren't allowed - BUT, I might have lobbied for Estoril Blue if I had thought about it more... Picked T Silver 'cause its easy to keep clean and looks nice with the performance package...


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## Alamo (Sep 17, 2004)

Mantis said:


> Ok,
> 
> what is your favorite color and why ?
> 
> ...


Silver because it's a light color. Light colors are easer to keep clean. Dark colors show dirt and in the sun they retain the heat.


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## bbkat (Oct 27, 2002)

Mantis said:


> I bought a Black car but man is it extremely hard to keep nice .
> 
> When she is clean and waxed, she looks awesome, when she igets just a bit of dust , she looks aweful.


Exactly why I didn't go with my first choice - Orient Blue.

I know my detailing habits (or lack of) and went with SG/NB because you don't see too many of them. :thumbup:


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## jerrykdc (May 6, 2003)

*Any color's okay, it the darn wheels that count.*

I think what makes a car look good is clean wheels. If you're 10 feet from a car and look it at if the paint is dirty but the wheels are clean it still looks good but the other way around is just awful. Interior colors can also make a car look really good but BMW has chosen to give us such a limited selection. I almost bought a used M3 instead of a new 330 because of the interior color options like red and cinammon.


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## OBS3SSION (Oct 1, 2002)

Red. No, blue! AHHHhhhhhhhh......


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## Daver (May 13, 2002)

OBS3SSION said:


> Red. No, blue! AHHHhhhhhhhh......


LMAO 

my thing is alpine white... though topaz would be an extremely close second... on either of my cars. Hell, black is sweet ... as is red (especially imola)... and I like sterling grey a lot, but that's pretty rare. Ok, I'm not too picky, but I definitely lean towards alpine white.


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## Mantis (Sep 7, 2004)

bbkat,

I was killed with it. The blue one was a early model and had the ugly M rims on it. They where a carry over rim from the 98 model. I didn't care for them and I also don't care for the grey interior. 

The white one is the one I had my heart set on. It was awesome and in perfect condition but the fact remained that I had to pay for the car first, then wait for the title to come back from BMW and that took 4 to 8 days. It's the only reason I didn't buy the white one.

The black one looked killer when it rolled out of the detail bay. I saw it and feel in love. It also had the tan leather which I like the best.

Buy a used car has it's ups and downs. I saved a ton of cash buying one but I hate all the little scratchs and swirls you can see in the black paint once it gets slighty dirty. Wax seems not to last that long ( week tops ) and the imperfections show.

I'm a perfectionist and should have bought a brand new car. The wife didn't want me spending the extra 22 grand to do so. What I'm thinking now is next year, trading in the 328i and geting a new 330i. 05 or 06 . The new body style is really nice and I'm waiting for them to hit the dealership next year. We shall see.

In alot of ways I wish I bought the White one. White paint looks killer when clean and doesn't show of every little thing. My truck is white and man she looks great all the time. When I wash it , it looks brand new.


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## konrad330xi (Aug 25, 2004)

Roadstergal is right...it's visceral. My ride's Orient Blue and my wife's ride is Jet Black. Orient looks almost black except in good lighting. Her's looks more "corporate" then mine (is that bad?)...and hey...I've always liked blue.


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## Ashe too (Dec 22, 2001)

I'm diggin' silver grey and titanium silver - mainly because they are colors that will not look dated a few years from now, they don't attract undue attention and because they are classic, suitable German car colors. My current car is silver grey with black interior with silver cube trim and it is just awsome.


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## JamesSpot (Mar 4, 2003)

*Imola Red, Natural Brown, Black Cube Trim*

I found my car on a dealer's web site and made an email purchase offer. It was the car I was looking for at the price I wanted to pay.
Jim


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## equ (Aug 11, 2004)

Imola red/natural brown!!


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## ClubSpec330i (Oct 22, 2003)

Me - always Jet Black ..started with my '00 Z3 and now '03 ZHP
Wife - '03 Ti Silver


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## seh (Oct 6, 2004)

equ said:


> Imola red/natural brown!!


Can we see some more pictures of that car? I've been able to find pictures of several Imola Red sedans, but not of coupes. Right now I'm up in the air between Sparkling Graphite (finally saw it in person last weekend) and Imola Red on a 330Ci ZHP.


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## mscoins (Oct 11, 2003)

Went with Alpine White - does a good job hiding dust and dirt, accentuates the natural shape and lines of the car, less prone to fade over time, and is forgiving when it comes to minor paint problems (i.e. swirls, chips, etc.) - IMHO.


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## Mantis (Sep 7, 2004)

Alpine white is my favorite color. My next BMW will be White.


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## wag-zhp (Apr 8, 2004)

I really like red, any shade, but Imola and Guards (Porche flavor) are my favorites. I also like blues, silvers, whites, and some greens, but red has always been my signature color. My color preference also gives me multiple opportunities to meet and greet the constabularies. 

(Seriously, knowing the local police really is a good thing. Knowing and understanding their job and what goes on in their heads during various situations gives you an advantage in knowing how to deal with them. Treating them with courtesy and respect goes a long way. Remember, they are people too, just like us. Rub them the wrong way and a ticket is guaranteed. Engage them like a fellow citizen, show sincerity, and compasion, and you may get away with nothing more than a warning.)


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## Alex Baumann (Dec 19, 2001)

machmeter said:


> Mora. To match my hair.


 :eeps:


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## SteveM (Aug 6, 2002)

I like silvers and blues. I went with Ti Silver on the 330i because Bluewater wasn't available.

Dark colors are too hard to keep clean in the amount of time I allocate for detailing.


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## Jim H (Feb 9, 2004)

I think it's really amazing how many different opinions there are on colors. Some of the favorites in this thread are colors that I would never buy, while others I could live with or love. No offense meant to anyone, of course. I'm sure my favorites are equally disliked. I just think it's really amazing how people vary on this. It's one of the cool things about human nature--we're not all the SAME! :thumbup:


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## Mantis (Sep 7, 2004)

No offence there Jim....

Everyone likes what color they like for there reasons. I perfer Black as it looks killer but I hate taking care of it


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## LDV330i (May 24, 2003)

seh said:


> Can we see some more pictures of that car? I've been able to find pictures of several Imola Red sedans, but not of coupes. Right now I'm up in the air between Sparkling Graphite (finally saw it in person last weekend) and Imola Red on a 330Ci ZHP.


 I do not believe Sparkling Graphite is available in the 3 series. :dunno:


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## seh (Oct 6, 2004)

LDV330i said:


> I do not believe Sparkling Graphite is available in the 3 series.


No, it is, at least for coupes in 2005. The car I saw in person was a 2005 325Ci, but one can order a 330Ci (even ZHP) in Sparkling Graphite. I have a 2005 coupe brochure with both a faked-up picture and a color chip of Sparkling Graphite. Check out the configuration tool at BMW's site or the recently posted ordering guide for confirmation.


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## Elwood (Dec 20, 2002)

seh said:


> No, it is, at least for coupes in 2005. The car I saw in person was a 2005 325Ci, but one can order a 330Ci (even ZHP) in Sparkling Graphite. I have a 2005 coupe brochure with both a faked-up picture and a color chip of Sparkling Graphite. Check out the configuration tool at BMW's site or the recently posted ordering guide for confirmation.


 Wow you're right. Several colors now available.

Sparkling Graphite
Sonora (egads)
Imola

Interesting.


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## Drewdog (Oct 6, 2004)

black :thumbup:


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## Jim H (Feb 9, 2004)

Mantis said:


> No offence there Jim....
> 
> Everyone likes what color they like for there reasons. I perfer Black as it looks killer but I hate taking care of it


I'm with you on black. A clean, shiny black BMW is something else. But I didn't order black simply because I just don't have the time to keep it up like I should, and my garage is already inhabited by my Triumph.


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## Three20FivexiT (Feb 19, 2004)

I used to have a black vehicle with blue flakes, and I loved it! But if you want it to look stellar, you have to put alot of time and effort into the upkeep, which may be hard for some. It looks like hell when it's dirty or dusty, but when it's clean...it really looks like something. I opted for a lighter, more favorable color this time.....Titanium Silver Metallic.....just for a change, and it looked the best on the Touring. My next vehicle will probably be of a dark color. I love Imola Red, Black, and any shade of the Silvers. I remeber in one of the previous BMW Magazines, there was a write up on the colors of BMW. A very good read.


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## Matthew330Ci (Sep 9, 2002)

RSPDiver said:


> Is it the car or the colors? I honestly don't know if BMW does a bad color, other than mabye Phoenix Yellow. A little too bling for me.


Laguna Seca Blue a.k.a. Smurf Blue is pretty awful too...

as for me it's Alpine White, I usually don't like white cars, but Alpine white is different from the other makers' dull cream-ish white.


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## Mapman (May 26, 2003)

I like a lot of older BMW blues - Estoril, Topaz, even Techno Violet! Since Mystic was as close as I could get to these without throwing a temper tantrum or shelling out beaucoup bucks, that's what I ended up with. It looks pretty sharp, and I don't have to wash it every day.


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