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Choosing the car you want and then picking a colour seems an easy thing to do, but the ramifications of your decision could be more than you bargained for. If you are going to sell the car later, the colour you choose when buying it could affect how easy it is to sell.
While a bright yellow Ford Focus may have been at the top of your wish list, you can bet that when you come to sell it there's not going to be a queue of buyers waiting to hand over the money. Mind you, if it were a Seat Leon it might be a different story altogether.
Certain cars look good in certain colours and other colours are traditionally associated with brands (yellow is a favourite for sporting Seats).
Back in the days when racing cars were not 300km/h billboards, teams painted their cars in the traditional colours. British cars were racing green, German cars silver, while the Italians painted anything on wheels red. White was the colour of choice for the Japanese and pale blue for the French. Honda's Integra Type-R, when it was first imported, was available in just one colour - white. A bit like the Ford Model T which, when launched, was only available in black.
Silver became so popular there were concerns the resale value would drop because of the lack of colour choice. White cars lost their popularity because no one wanted a bland coloured car anymore.
Some of the more exotic car manufacturers decided to move away from safe colours and paint their cars in golds and browns. When Lamborghini exhibited their brown Diablo at a motor show it stood out among all the other carmakers' reds and silvers. Could brown now be the new black?
If you've made your decision on the colour, how do you decide on what type of paint - solid, metallic or pearlescent?
Solid colours are those that are created by ordinary paint. Metallic paints have tiny flecks in them that reflect the light. Pearlescent reflects the light in different ways depending on the angle the light strikes the paint, giving surfaces an extra sheen. Metallic and pearlescent colours usually have a hard lacquered finish that makes them more resistant to chipping and scratching. However, it's harder to match colours exactly when touching up scratches or dents.
Car manufacturers will charge extra for metallic and pearlescent finishes for the perceived better looks, and these cars can be easier to resell.
Colours fade over time. Road chemicals, dirt, sunlight, impacted insects and, especially, bird crap will all accelerate the ageing process.
The easiest way to halt the fading process is to keep the car clean. Wash it regularly with car-specific detergents, not household detergents that strip all the protective polishes from the paintwork. Try and avoid using a car wash too much, as over time the brushes can scratch the surface of the paint.
After washing the car give it a polish. Not only will the car look better, but the wax in the polish leaves a protective layer behind on the paint surface.
Although paint manufacturers are improving their technology, different colours perform differently. Light metallics tend to fade more than the strong ones. And dark solid colours like blacks and blues tend to have a softer finish so they are more prone to scratching and damage.
When buying a used car, money can be saved by choosing a car with an unpopular colour. But if you want the exact colour, with the exact trim, you may have to wait a while, or extend the radius of your search. But don't get hung up trying to find the perfect combination because you might miss out on some great bargains by being too finicky.
Also, be aware of interior colour trim. If you have small children avoid pale coloured carpets and seats.
Car colours can be a real pain. Buy new and there's too much choice, but still not always the one you want. Opt for a used car and you are stuck with what's around. If you can, choose a colour that suits the car and that you personally like. Think about colour by all means, but remember it's not critical. If in doubt, pick a popular colour. Even if it's not your favourite, when you come to sell, you'll be in good company. It'll be easy to find and buy the car in the first place, and you can guarantee that your buyers will be thinking that way when you come to sell.
* Additional information MSN Cars.
