black cars - what do people think of them?

worded

The look old when older?
Scratches show up more?
Get dirty looking quicker?

peasant

my sentiments exactly ...but they DO look greak when freshly polished

Oilrig

worded wrote: »

The look old when older?
Scratches show up more?
Get dirty looking quicker?

They're statements... not questions

TJJP

I had a black celica a few years back and it looked great with a shine on it even when it was getting on in years. It was tricky to keep clean, but I reckon black is pretty good as long as its not overdone with the window tint and all that. Bonnet was inclined to haze if it had too much wax on, needed a good de-wax with a light rub of t-cut every now and then.

mike65

The biz except when they are carrying 3 weeks of Irish weather. I've had three so I know....bucket, sponge, wet, clean, wash. Repeat ad nauseum.

Mike.

bazz26

If you don't like washing your car very regularly or scratches bother you alot then stick with colours like silver.

Black is stunning just after a wash and wax, but one shower of rain and it's back to square one.

dr.bollocko

They're rappiiddd man. Betr n even a white wan. Like a white hondy civic with a rear spoiler and a black racing stripe bud.
FT f'in W

TJJP

There goes the neighbourhood.

woop

hah

no second hand cars nearly allways look better in black, im talking 10 year olds..............pluss finishes have improved a lot lately so it may be different but you never seem to get a black car fading the way you get a blue or a red

dr.bollocko

Yeah what is it with that paint fade issue? Thats fairly shocking. I was lookin at the 2nd hand hot hatch market a while back, and most of the Astras I saw had this problem, a blotchy horrible fading colour. Made the car look terrible. Havent seen it happen with metallic finishes, but who am I to know?

-Chris-

dr.bollocko wrote: »

Yeah what is it with that paint fade issue? Thats fairly shocking. I was lookin at the 2nd hand hot hatch market a while back, and most of the Astras I saw had this problem, a blotchy horrible fading colour. Made the car look terrible. Havent seen it happen with metallic finishes, but who am I to know?

Fading doesn't tend to happen with metallics, only non-metallics.

Metallic is more robust than non-metallic, doesn't show up marks or scratches as easily and doesn't fade so the way I'd see it is:

If you live in town, commute on main roads and don't mind handwashing your car, then it doesn't matter whether you go metallic or non-metallic.

If you run your car through a carwash regularly (never a good idea anyway), drive on back roads where stuff scrapes the side of your car or if you're keeping the car for over 5 years, go for metallic.

As to the question of whether to go black or not, that's personal preference - black looks deadly clean (but you have to wash it every few days) and looks even better dirty (nothing I love more than a black 5 Series Sport with a big spray of muck up the side - evil!:cool:).

Tea drinker

Love a deep lustrous black!
But as with any colour/car a good wax goes a long way to keeping a good finish and resisting dirt.

But black also attract more heat, seems to get shocking warm in black cars in summer.

antodeco

Yeah, my cars a hoor to keep clean. However, a browny dust dirt on it, generally suits it!

DJ Hafez

Pearlescent black keeps its black much better than others. I know of two people who had normal black cars and got one or 2 coats of pearlescent black on top of the paint for added shine. Wasn't too expensive and made the car stand out more.

Sandwich

Oilrig wrote: »

They're statements... not questions

They're questions not statements when spoken with an upward inflection on the last word.;)

Irish-trucker

I love black cars
I had a 94 corsa ,i nearly had it down to the metal i had it that well polished , but when it was clean it looked savage.

I have a black G6R now , its metallic with like tiny gold flake in it , looks stunning when she's polished up and in the sun.

Were i work is very dusty and the car does be manky by the time friday comes, but i wash it down and have it looking well for the weekend :cool:

Get yourself a black car now ! LOL

monksavage

There very dark...

blackbox

Apart from a sports car or a small car, black is the only colour that looks OK when non-metallic.

Save about 800 euro, but never drive without your lights on - black is kind of invisible.

Black looks good if you have a bit of chrome.

St0n3d

Black was in 07!!

Not sure this year!! Im stuck between silver and my favorite met blue!

ADvantages of black:

Doesn't show spots, tar, small scratchs.
Looks sleek when kept well.
Doesn't fade as fast as other colours iv noticed.
Doesn't imply any gender!

Disadvantages:

Some may think black is a bit dark and evil.
THis saying is pointless as the same goes for clothes yet do people take great care in analzing ... No.

No valid disadvantage! With or without chrome its nice

bitemybanger

Altough black is the best coulour when polished, i will never buy another black car again, we just dont have the roads/climate to keep them looking good

elven

I'm thinking black when the new shape ibiza comes out... it's like a baby leon and the leon looks fab in black. Must learn to wash it more often though :rolleyes:

I think it makes your alloys stand out even more too.

worded

I looked at this black car and it was paint perfect, it seemed.

On careful examination it appeared the two front wings were not exactly aligned with the bonnet. (different gaps, wing slightly higher on one side)

Crashed car. Im getting good at this. Thank god I spotted it.

mick.fr

I love black cars, they look nasty and put fear in other drivers.

Seinas

black looks great when the car is clean...and even more so with a few chrome accessories

but by god do they get dirty... sometimes i might have to wash my jeep everyday because it gets so filthy:mad:

Invincible

I had two black cars in the past,when washed/polished they were lovely,but on these roads,you'd only have gone a few miles until it would look manky,also in hot weather they were like ovens,when you'd first get in.Black is easy kept in the city I'd imagine.

Seperate

I'd be willing to buy a black car alright. Paint has come on alot in the last 8-10years, so fading is as much of a risk on any dark car - if looked after it will be grand.

I have a carbon black M3 in every 2 weeks and it is quickly becoming my favourite colour. When given a good wash and wax, it looks really really well.

IF you're not into washing it at least once a week then it might not be the colour for you. As said above, it will show marks more so then a silver/white. Which means if you put it through an auto car wash - it will show when (or if) the sun comes out!

astraboy

My alfa is black(well actually very very dark blue, but its black in reality!) and when its washed it looks the biz. I think the colour makes the alloys look better. THe only other colour I'd have on my car is red. I don't think its too bad for dirt etc, I do need to buff out the scratches as they are really noticeable if left alone. I think its a great colour all in though, you get great satisfaction when I wash it!

On another note, I had a red MK3 astra before, the paint faded really badly, got to the stage where compounding would not work any more. Older opels are reknowned for it though. A respray is the only option when a car gets to that stage. Newer metallic paint is not so bad for fading I think.

jonnygee

I dont know if its just me but for some reason i think that it seems that the owners of black cars are among the majority of drivers that forget to put their lights on in the morning. nearly all the cars I see without lights on seem to be black or other dark coloured cars. How they get away with it i,ll never know.

mick.fr

jonnygee wrote: »

I dont know if its just me but for some reason i think that it seems that the owners of black cars are among the majority of drivers that forget to put their lights on in the morning. nearly all the cars I see without lights on seem to be black or other dark coloured cars. How they get away with it i,ll never know.

Not me I like to piss/confuse people with my US headlights lol

colly10

worded wrote: »

The look old when older?

Wouldn't agree with that at all, mine is old but looks alot fresher than alot of cars it's age. They are harder to keep but if you look after it and keep it polished nothing shines up like it

Blitzkrieger

St0n3d wrote: »

Some may think black is a bit dark and evil.

There was a thread here a few years back about what the different colours mean. Apparantly having a black means you're successfull. I have a black car and.....I'm...very..... ......successfull.

I was originally looking for a silver car but when a I saw a good example in black I snapped it up. I wouldn't change now - the black looks fantastic after a wash, polish and wax.

Black_Knight

I dont think my car was just washed and polished when I took the pic but twas probably recently after a wash.
I think black cars look excellent, especially after a good hand wash. Fair enough dirt might show a bit easier, but i like washing my car so thats all good with me.:D 8 year old '00 reg car

blastman

I'd echo what has been said already. I have a small black coupe and despite being quite old, I think it still looks well. That said, it's a pig to keep clean.

AntiVirus

worded wrote: »

The look old when older?

If a car is looked after it won't look old no matter what colour it is. My old 1995 Celica looked pretty good when washed and waxed, even better when the sun sometimes came out. You may notice my Celica T-Sport wheels on it which is black as well

vectra

elven wrote: »

I'm thinking black when the new shape ibiza comes out... it's like a baby leon and the leon looks fab in black. Must learn to wash it more often though :rolleyes:

I think it makes your alloys stand out even more too.

Have you got a link to the new ibiza?
I am only to assume the Cordoba will change as well?
I have just bought a new Metallic Black Cordoba and use Harly Wax on it... Looks stunning after waxing.. True that afer a nights rain it gets spotty but nothing that a quick squirt of cold power washer wont remove. With the Harly wax the dirt seems to just run off it and come up looking great again.

Lex Luthor

Black is only good in the showroom. Once it leaves it becomes a nightmare

Shamrogue

Woops- logged in on my dads profile

Black_Knight

Lex Luthor wrote: »

Black is only good in the showroom. Once it leaves it becomes a nightmare

I disagree! It depends on the owner, how the car is kept. I personally love washing my car and it looks brilliant afterwards. Wash a silver car and who can tell the difference!
Its not like it kills ya to keep a black car looking good. Ill sponge wash, rinse, and towel dry my car in about 15 mins. Every week if I get the chance.
I actually got my tracking checked for free because the guy at the garage was saying how people wreck there cars and stuff, and that mine was well cared for etc (just washed also). Granted, he didnt have to fix the tracking as it was ok to begin with, but still, I feel my effort helped his decision.

Lex Luthor

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

Apparantly having a black means you're successfull. I have a black car and.....I'm...very..... ......successfull.

puleeaze...!!!!!!!!!! :rolleyes:

Lex Luthor

Black_Knight wrote: »

Wash a silver car and who can tell the difference!

looks like we disagree on both counts then

vectra

Lex Luthor wrote: »

looks like we disagree on both counts then

I had a silver car once and swore never again.
To me it never looked any different if i had just washed it and dried it or spent hours polishing it.

Painful it was
Anyway,
Everyone knows that Black cars are faster

Black_Knight

vectra wrote: »

I had a silver car once and swore never again.
To me it never looked any different if i had just washed it and dried it or spent hours polishing it.

2-1, Black vs silver

port

I had a metalic black Mondeo,great car to drive but a whor% to keep clean.Even after a good hand wash and dry off with leather cloth the smudges and marks used appear.Ok maybe I did something wrong but when you get very litte reward for alot of effort its hard to endure.God I hated that car (colour).
Black....no thanks.Silver....yes please.
2-2 Black v Silver

shanel23

I have a black and a silver car - the wife has a black car too -

spend most of my time washing the silver one......

Black_Knight

I just use some Simoniz liquid wax concentrate stuff. Not sure what the name on it is exactly. Mix it in with a basin of water and sponge wash. Car comes out excellent.

IMO the person who washes the car determines how it turns out... no offense.

Black_Knight

shanel23 wrote: »

I have a black and a silver car - the wife has a black car too -

spend most of my time washing the silver one......

Do you drive them equally?
If so is it just because you like the silver one more that you wash it or does it show up the dirt more?

Lex Luthor

Black_Knight wrote: »

I just use some Simoniz liquid wax concentrate stuff. Not sure what the name on it is exactly. Mix it in with a basin of water and sponge wash. Car comes out excellent.

IMO the person who washes the car determines how it turns out... no offense.

I use that stuff too....super stuff

shanel23

Black_Knight wrote: »

Do you drive them equally?
If so is it just because you like the silver one more that you wash it or does it show up the dirt more?

Drive the silver one a bit more to be honest But the black one just seems to handle a bit of dirt a bit better - I don't think it looks as bad after wet trip on the M50 as the silver one does ..

Black_Knight

Lex Luthor wrote: »

I use that stuff too....super stuff

The odd coat of proper wax too if im feeling generous. I only towel dry because the waters a bit hard so it leaves streaks.

vectra

Black_Knight wrote: »

I just use some Simoniz liquid wax concentrate stuff.

Have you tried Meguires Liquid Gold

Thats what I use and find it excellent.
Might try the Simoniz stuff next

Volvoboy

This was one of my cars a while back, the paint did look rather tired!



Then i had this yoke;




There was about 50K miles between the two cars the carina would have come up grand with a bit of a polish.

-VB-