MartyB

I know color is by and large a subjective thing, but I'm interested in hearing personal preferences between these two based on general appearance, resistance to showing swirls/fine scratches in paint and hiding dirt (I know any variety of black is not ideal, but is one of these better than the other?) I am not a crazy person when it comes to routine detailing/polishing/waxing and tend to let it go a bit. Even so, I can't say no to a black variety. Interior will be sand beige. Thanks for your time.

J1SD

I am biased because I have Basalt...but it does hide fine scratches much better than standard black and looks great in the sun. Again...I am biased but Basalt all the way!

CButler

I debated this for nearly two years. Went with straight black. It looks awesome clean, but does show swirls and scratches much easier than basalt. When black gets dusty (usally 3 days after it's been washed), it looks like basalt. When basalt gets dusty, it looks like basalt. In bright sunlight, basalt tends to take on a purpleish hue. Couldn't go wrong with either, but basalt is lower "maintenance" from an appearance standpoint. I take extreme care when washing my car, but swirls are inevitable. Interesting point is that at dusk, basalt is practically indistinguishable from black. Under fluorescent lighting, basalt sparkles, whereas black shines. In sum, both are HOT when clean.

Sharkdad

I also vote for Basalt. It looks more distinguished to me and, having owned cars in both pure black and black metallic, the metallic is superior at camouflaging a little dirt, nicks, etc.

Good luck,
Eric

'91 928GT
(Metallic) Black & Tan

CBejbl

definitely Basalt.

Streamlined

I haven't seen Basalt in person, but if it really has purplish hues does it pair well with the sand interior? I'm sure it would be pretty and a bit easier to maintain then jet black though - can't really go wrong.

Personally I said I'd never own another black car, then this jet blk one came along and it looked too great to resist. I thought that I'd be more caught up by the little scratches and dealing with black then I am - just a step or two back and those details are forgotten and all I see is the beautiful shapely sinister form. Even dirty there is enough gleam to highlight the curves and it looks great to me, guess I'm getting less OCD over time

DennisVR

I'm going with pure black just to even the score :P But also because i might have a deal on a pure black 997s To be decided next week.

I've read some about this topic and i think the consensus is that both have their merits. Pure black seems to give the best result after being cleaned. Basalt black seems to stay clean longer.

wross996tt

I didn't like the Basalt in person..so I' went with Black...to each his own...

500

Pure black...when it's clean there's nothing like it

Sunshine

Another for straight black. It's more than a color/hue, it's a lifestyle.

royalpar1

I have Basalt, I love it, However there are days I think Black would look better, However, when the sun hits it, its trick

Pugnacious

Where I live it would be a full time job!

jimmc8

Go with Basalt for sure, it's unbelievable how much the flake in the paint hides imperfections and dirt. And IMHO, when Zaino'd it gives a deeper finish.

Weasel

I went with black. Didn't like the basalt so much when I saw it in person next to pure black. Seeing the colors in person at different times during a clear day made the choice simple. However, now that I have the car, I noticed it tends to appear dirty more often than clean -- but for the 4-5 fleeting hours when it's clean -- WOW!!!

mal28

where do you live?, makes a difference

if you live where you can keep it clean, go with pure black