Looking at buying a new-to-me car and trying to decide between two particular cars... one is solid jet black, and the other is standard bright white.

I have never owned a black car... what are they like to own?

Reportedly, from a few people I've asked, black shows any and all imperfections, and show scratches very easily. True? Or just perpetuated mythology?

Thanks!!

 

They are both hard to maintain...Dark cars always seem dusty. Road film shows a lot more on white. Scratches in white will show less, therefore less buffing.
Go with the white!
What are you looking at?

 

I'll let the pro's reply...

 

yes!

 

Black is a pain to keep nice, especially on a daily driver type car. I limit which car colors my wife can choose for her cars since I know she won't take care of the car. Silver is great at hiding minor scratches and swirls.

Having said that, if you have the patience to keep it looking nice black looks absolutely stunning when properly polished/maintained.

 

+1

 

As long as you are diligent on your washing and doing a good routine full detail every 6 months, you should be in good shape. It helps if she's garaged too.

 

Be advised that black will also show rock chips much more so than lighter colors as well. I've had the front bumper and hood repainted on my 997

 

Very good point. Definitely a color which would benefit from having a clear bra which covers most of the hood and front end.

 

A black car will require more maintenance/cleaning to keep it looking good. They do show scratches, swirls and stone chips more easily than lighter colors. A well maintained black car is very rewarding if you fancy the color.

I have a clear bra on my black pearl Audi. While it does protect the paint from stone chips and scratches, it looks terrible after being hammered with tiny stones. Fortunately for me, I'm happy enough knowing that I can remove the clear bra at any time and have a flawless finish underneath! It's a great investment for any car of any color.

 

I am on my 4th black car and can attest to all the comments above regarding black. But for me, it is my absolute favorite color. I would take the same level of care regardless of color, it's just what I do. That said, black will show the imperfections more (road rash, minor swirls, etc), but damn it looks good when it's clean.

+1 with Marine Blue, my daily driver is silver and is super easy to care for (shows nothing). I am in the process of buying my wife another DD we're going with silver (she has black now).