I love the look of a clean black car, but after years of constant attention trying to keep the finish perfect I want a color that’s more forgiving on my next vehicle. Silver is probably my best bet, but I really like the look of the smoke gray color which is available on many newer vehicles. Do any of you have experience with this color? Unfortunately my vehicle will not be garaged so I’m looking for info on how bad dirt, water spots, swirls, scratches, etc show. Thanks!
Help me choose a color...
- Thread starter sstone
- Start date
Not exactly sure if mine is "smoke gray" or not. I have a 2003 Accord Coupe with "graphite pearl" which I would describe as a dark metallic gray. I have only had it for 9 months and I have used the Klasse twins, Poorboys EX and S100 in various combinations. I have twin halogen 500's that I use in my garage to detail with and have not noticed any swirls, water spots, or etching from birdsh!t. I do have two scratches that stand out horribly to me, but only one of which anyone else has ever noticed. I have had black cars and can honestly say that this color is much more forgiving than black but not quite as forgiving as white or silver. However, it cleans up and looks a lot better than white or silver to me. Dirt is not too bad and road splash is moderate but the damn pollen does show up pretty bad and is about to drive me crazy. IMHO the metallic helps in most respects but definitely makes the scratches more difficult to hide or properly repair.
I understand where you are coming from though because I had a '78 Seville with a custom black paint job that it looked like you could swim in but it was a lot of constant work to maintain. Dark colors look better when cleaned up to me but lighter colors are easier to maintain IMHO. Therefore, I let the size of the vehicle determine the color. A small black or dark colored car is fine if you enjoy detailing (and the satisfying results) but a large car needs to be light colored and easier to maintain for me (which is why my wife got a white SUV and I got a dark gray Accord).
I understand where you are coming from though because I had a '78 Seville with a custom black paint job that it looked like you could swim in but it was a lot of constant work to maintain. Dark colors look better when cleaned up to me but lighter colors are easier to maintain IMHO. Therefore, I let the size of the vehicle determine the color. A small black or dark colored car is fine if you enjoy detailing (and the satisfying results) but a large car needs to be light colored and easier to maintain for me (which is why my wife got a white SUV and I got a dark gray Accord).
imported_neoflex
New member
Never had a smoke grey car but my guess is that it will be just as difficult as black. Especially when it comes to scratches and swirls. I too got tired of dark colors too and with my last black car vowed never to buy another black vehicle again. Thats why in my driveway you see a Pearl White Caddy and a Silver Jeep. 2 of the easiest colors to own. Silver is real easy. When that thing is filthy it still looks pretty good from a distance.
Nick T.
New member
My wife gets a new company car about every 18 months and takes them through a car wash once a week - - that’s about 750 cycles of abuse. Lighter colors fare the best with metallic silver being the very best survivor.
Thanks for the info! I'm actually hoping to get a Nissan Titan in the not so distant future and the color in question is 'Smoke'. I currenty drive a balck Honda Civic and must say that I've done a good job with the paint, but stepping up to a full size truck is going to require a lot more effort. Maybe silver would be my best bet since I plan on keeping it for quite some time.
imported_Luster1
New member
I have two Pontiacs.
The "Show Car" is BLACK. My wife drives it every day, but only about 2 miles per day.
Still VERY high-maintenance.
The other Pontiac is SILVER...my daily driver. It's the best possible color choice for a daily driver. IT ALWAYS LOOKS CLEAN!!! Even after driving in the rain or snow/slush, it looks clean.
I would highly recommend silver of some variation of silver for a daily driven car.....
(My son's Honda Accord - Silver.......a breeze to keep clean........)
The "Show Car" is BLACK. My wife drives it every day, but only about 2 miles per day.
Still VERY high-maintenance.
The other Pontiac is SILVER...my daily driver. It's the best possible color choice for a daily driver. IT ALWAYS LOOKS CLEAN!!! Even after driving in the rain or snow/slush, it looks clean.
I would highly recommend silver of some variation of silver for a daily driven car.....
(My son's Honda Accord - Silver.......a breeze to keep clean........)
imported_FordTaurus
New member
I know the smoke grey color you are talking about. My job requires me to be outside a lot, and cars in that color always look great. That color really looks good - the reflections are incredible, even on dirtier cars.
I had two white cars, a silver one, and now one that's half and half (stone white Jeep, with the lower gray trim). The silver was definitely easiest to keep clean looking (as noted by others, above), but the whites always looked significantly nicer when actually detailed.
So I see it as a trade-off, look "nice" all the time with silver or look "great" sometimes and "okay" sometimes with white.
Of course, I do sometimes envy the oppportunity to really show off my skills with a dark car.
Congrats on the impending purchase of a new canvas...I mean car...enjoy the color-choosing process!
So I see it as a trade-off, look "nice" all the time with silver or look "great" sometimes and "okay" sometimes with white.
Of course, I do sometimes envy the oppportunity to really show off my skills with a dark car.
Congrats on the impending purchase of a new canvas...I mean car...enjoy the color-choosing process!
imported_NHBFAN
New member
sstone said:
sstone,
A while back I posted a topic entitled "what color is your next new car going to be?"
I believe the consensus of those who wanted "low maintenance" opted for silver.
Think I'm going for a darker red next time though.
http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=31946&highlight=color
I've owned several colors. Red, green, Black, Laser Blue, Silver, etc.
I know have a titanium Grey Metallic. Without sun, it's dark. In sun the metallic pops out, and it's close to silver. Ever see the grey'ish silver'ish Ferrari's? Best color I've ever had for taking care of. Can be very reflective. Dust doesn't show at all. And Mud doesn't show badly either. I found mud showed up on Silver quite bad. Since I have heavy metallic flake, scratches don't show up bad either because it blends in. The more light that hits the scratched area's, the less you see it. Now, my paint is rare, and not easily found. Special Edition Mazda's only. But Many cars have something close.
I parked to a Boxster the other day that was almost identical in color as well. No metallic in it like mine though. Mine has crazy metallic.
I know have a titanium Grey Metallic. Without sun, it's dark. In sun the metallic pops out, and it's close to silver. Ever see the grey'ish silver'ish Ferrari's? Best color I've ever had for taking care of. Can be very reflective. Dust doesn't show at all. And Mud doesn't show badly either. I found mud showed up on Silver quite bad. Since I have heavy metallic flake, scratches don't show up bad either because it blends in. The more light that hits the scratched area's, the less you see it. Now, my paint is rare, and not easily found. Special Edition Mazda's only. But Many cars have something close.
I parked to a Boxster the other day that was almost identical in color as well. No metallic in it like mine though. Mine has crazy metallic.
RX-7 Addict
New member
Charcol grey is almost as hard to keep clean as a black.
I have a dark grey Audi A4 daily driver, and it is not much better to keep clean than my BMW, which was black.
I have a dark grey Audi A4 daily driver, and it is not much better to keep clean than my BMW, which was black.