After a long journey, I finally have my car at the bodyshop. I pulled the door panels off and all the weatherstrip. The rear hatch and bumpers were removed. A new hood and side pipes are also mounted. Finally, chrome sawblades with 11" rears round out the exterior. Oh yeah, I'm doing chrome emblems and door handles too.

My car is black and I've owned a black car for 17 years (3 during that time). After 17 years of taking care of black, I'd like a break. I've already bought two-toned black/red (red center) seat covers and black mats (cargo and floor). Carpet is light gray.

I ruled out silver and I'm down to a change to red vs. leaving it black.

If I go red, they only need to r/r the doors. Everything else that needs a color change is exposed.

If I go red, I'd pick a darker red than Torch Red. Closer to the red of the early C4's. If I go red, chips will be black -- just like a factory car. If I go red, it'll be cooler in the summer which is when I drive it most. If I go red, I won't have to wash it as much, dust won't show as bad, and I'll finally have something other than BLACK!

If I leave it black, chips will be black. If I leave it black, it'll cost less. If I leave it black, it'll make the chrome and red accents stand out more. If I leave it black it'll look elegant and meaner at the same time.
If I leave it black, well... I'll probably like it best but die waxing myself into the grave.

What would you do?

Here's a pic to give you an idea of where I'm headed. (Found on the web). Imagine chrome sawblades and accents.

BLACK (photoshopped):
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RED (not this dark of a red):
[IMG][/IMG]

 

Kinda like that dark red.

 

Dark red in my book!

 

Dark red metallic-IMO shows off the bodylines the best. Have one of each, the DRM is the better looking of the two.

 

Drk Red would be my choice!

 

Looks good in the red

 

 

Black with chrome accents is awesome looking...I may be a bit biased though since mine looks black. It's a pain and I HAVE to at least dust of off daily but it's worth it

 

Red, and pick a unique color of red, not necessarily a Corvette color imo. Why? Well it does sound as if you're plain-a$$ tired of taking care of black! And I don't blame you.

I only have my second black car and after the first, I thought I'd never get another. Because this one is almost always garaged, it doesn't get quite as bad as the first one years ago, but it's still a royal, royal you know what.

Get the red, enjoy it, and take LESS care of it. Yeahhhhhhh, righttttttt. It'll still be looking good, I'm sure.

Plus, I can't wait to see the finished product with lotsa pics!!!!!

 

I would also pick red so you could give yourself a waxing break and drive the car more . I also think that the red picture is more attractive . It might be because I'm drawn to it because it hasn't been photoshopped and seems brighter .

Good luck with your choice .

 

I'm in the paint it red camp. I have a Blue Corvette and wash it maybe once a month. In between, I use a Calf duster. It always looks great.

My daily driver is a black Supra. It's a real pain to keep looking clean. Black cars look great the day you wash them. The next day you can see every spec of dust.

go for the low maintenance, you'll have more time to drive and enjoy. That's what cars are for.

 

If you're going red, take a look at BMW Imola Red. What a color - "blood red" is a good way to describe it. It's a deep, rich red and a couple shades darker than standard Torch Red. Gorgeous, IMHO.

Matthew

 

The dark red is beautiful. Very classy.

 

I am not a big fan of red...only because I have had plenty of red sports cars in the past.So I'm all "redded" out. But I really like the Burghandy color on a C4. It is a classy color and looks good with any wheels.

 

"All Corvettes are red."

By the way, the chips in my (albeit Torch) red paint are white....and it's not because they're full of wax.

(BTW, Ford makes some very nice reds. )

Larry
code5coupe

 

Actually, I like Rio Red. Its a deep red that was used on circa 2000 Mercury Cougars. I don't think I've seen it on any other car. (It still has a neon "glow" in the sun -- even though it's fairly dark). I'll try and find that BMW red previously mentioned. BTW: I also like Tornado Red which is used on newer Volkswagons. Absolutely Red (Toyota Celicas and Solara) is another good, bright red.

I did make a global statement about chipping that's not totally true. The bumpers are black urethane which causes black chips. However, the hood and the rest of the car are white fiberglass. So, the chips would be white on the car. My new hood is getcoated in black and the rest of the car is already black. So, just like a factory red vette, I could get black chips and white chips depending on the depth and location of the chip. Thanks for the correction.

One final note: If I stay black, I'll change to a blacker black than chevy black. Lexus, Mercedes, and Acura have a Jet Black that is deeper than our black. Very striking. (The bodyshop would feather back into the door jams so the color would be the same inside the doors but not require door removal to paint the hinges).

gp

P.S. If I really were brave, I'd ask if the car pictured in post #1 would look better with a wing -- but I bet I know the consensus here! And, actually I bought a wing, but can't bring myself to install it. :o

 

Hmmmmm...I wonder..........

 

How about yellow? I love yellow Vettes! Just kidding, back to YOUR choices. Both look good but to me, an awesome black Vette looks better than an awesome red. maybe because of the work behind it. But you're right, keeping black looking awesome is a feat in itself.

 

Torch red is the best red.

 

I cant decide, both look good. I think chrome looks best with black though.