Black or Silver 4runner....

[autobahnshine]

Hey,

I'm in the process of purchasing a 3rd Generation 4runner Limited Edition. I'm a detailer, and I have plenty of tools- rotary, menzerna, d/a, griot's junk, zymol, etc. I've never owned a black car, but I really want to try it, knowing how good they can look when cleaned up. My silver M3 is just boring, my moms silver lexus is boring... should I go for the black, or just grab silver which is in more of abundance?????

Cliffs:

How bad is black to keep up??

[Carbon Blue]

it all depends on how often and how keen you are on keeping your car clean. Ive got a black 2002 celica that Ive owned brand new since 2002 with almost 70k miles and the paint on it looks good as new. Then again I wax or seal every month and wash atleast once to twice a week. Lighter colored cars definitely look clean longer and hide swirl marks much better. But since it appears that youve got all the required tools a black car shouldnt be that bad at all. Id say after one week my car still looks clean, two weeks is pushing it and 3 weeks you definitely have to wash it.

[RCBuddha]

Originally Posted by autobahnshine

Cliffs:

How bad is black to keep up??

It can be quite a PIA, as imperfections show up very easily. I personally like Silver or green on third generation 4Runners.

[tdekany]

Silver. You will not be able to stop shaking your head if you get a black one. You will notice everything.

[autobahnshine]

But Black Is Soooooo Sick

[RCBuddha]

Originally Posted by autobahnshine

But Black Is Soooooo Sick

I agree, a freshly detailed black car looks "sick" but give it 20mins and you'll be thinking: "dammit, there's dust on it already?"

ya know, sounds like your up for the challenge, go for the black if you can find it! What year are you looking at?

[DieselMDX]

i would go with a metallic maybe not silver cause it never turns head but a nice dark color metallic looks nice

[widyhs]

Black hands down. What better way to promote yourself than with that dark shiny car. With a silver, it just goes blah. I agree that black is a PITA to care for but then again if you get a silver car, you will always wish for a black one. Agree that perhaps something dark metallic might be a better tradeoff.

[tod071]

If you're a detailer, I'd go with metallic or silver. Black looks good and makes a statement, but once it gets dirty (about 20mins after its clean), it can make a negative statement. If you want to make an impression to your clients, a clean silver or metallic that's hiding imperfections that most people can't see is better than a noticeable dirty black vehicle. Just my $.02.

[kkreit01]

Both are boring. I'd go with the Shadow Mica.

[sonyexec]

Knowing how wet a black car can look I have to agree with the majority you'll be pissed 30 minutes after washing it because you will see every speck of dust.

I wash my car weekly and garage park it both at work and at home, when I owned a black car it drove me nuts being able to see all the dust on the car. I have since switched over to silver although my favorite has to be the charcoal grey color (or any of its deviations and/or aka's).

[etml12]

Originally Posted by DieselMDX

i would go with a metallic maybe not silver cause it never turns head but a nice dark color metallic looks nice

I agree with Diesel. A dark metallic or pearl can be very rewarding in its own right from a detailing perspective. What year of the 3rd gens are you looking? The 2002 Stellar Blue Pearl looks rather nice.