I Know What My New Car Will Be! Help Me Pick a Color?

"K-Roll-PorscheTamer" (k-roll390) 01/29/2014 at 01:10 • Filed to: Focus ST

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Amazingly, my '08 Saturn Astra will be replaced by a brand new 2014 Ford Focus ST1!!!!

One problem..... I can't decide between two colors in particular; Tuxedo Black and Performance Blue.

Normally I wouldn't touch(read as 'own') a black car with a catback exhaust(horrible car joke, proceeding to slap myself in the face with a wrench); it's impossible to keep clean, especially in Michigan year-round unless you've got the money to do weekly washes. It's a sharp, sexy color no doubt, but the cons simply outweigh the pros here. If I choose black, I have to worry about Scratches, Swirl Marks, apparently a very hot interior in the summer, and improper washes which I'm VERY good at... The only thing that the Blacks got going for it, is that it's already on the dealers lot, for the Blue, a dealer trade would be required and I've got no idea how long that'd take.

The same would go with the Blue, but the problem is that I'll have already had a Blue car. I want to try a different color this time around. And then there's the dealer trade deal again.

I've considered the other colors and here's what happened...(no offense to ST owners or car owners with similar colors!)

Tangerine Scream: To Yellow and it doesn't look right to me on a hot hatch like the ST(maybe the Fiesta though)

Race Red: The mother was like "Pull Over an 18 Year Old in a Focus ST Red" I love it but the decision was unanimous on it because I don't want drive a dull pink or orange car in 5-6 years(I'll be keeping this car for a VERY LONG time.)

Ingot Silver: Silver is BORING.....moving on

Oxford White: Better than Silver, yet it screams rental car to me which = BORING

So I can't really be sold on another color besides the black or blue. What should I do? My gut's feeling isn't in the mood to help me with this one. Which is the best color for the sportiness, extreme long-term and why? All ears open(which a touch of salt)

(None of the pics are mine BTW)

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:23

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Step 1) pick a favorite or pick a more modern favorite

Step 2) Pick the color that best represents the base color of your favorite ford rally car

Step 3) Rally Livery Tribute.

It's what I'm doing with my fiesta ST that I had ordered because I will wait it out for my dream car, thank you very much! Here's Hannu mikkola's escort Mk2 that I will make a tribute to on my fiesta.

For Sweden > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:24

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Green.

But it doesn't come in green.

Rattle cans come in green.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:25

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I think you're always better off waiting for the colour you want rather than settling, you don't want to be driving your 2nd choice and see another one in the colour you always wanted.

Also as the owner of a black car I say go for the blue, they're really handsome in that colour too.

Vee Ate Injun > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:26

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brown. done. you're welcome ...

Singhjr96 > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:28

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Oh this is tough. I was down to black, blue, and grey when I bought my car. Personally I would say grey, it looks good in what I drive and hides dirt well. But in this case, I would recommend it in blue. Just my opinion. It is a color that won't get you pulled over, unlike red. And since this can be considered a hot hatch you might want something that will stand out and pop. The black I believe will blend into the crowd. I also believe blue will hide dirt better. Honestly though, choose what color makes the car pop the most, or suits it, and you, the most.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard 01/29/2014 at 01:34

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Well the thing is, I'd be happy with either color as both I believe are excellent choices.

alexotics > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:35

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Blue!

PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:36

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I say get it in yellow, or red :P
not to spite you, but EVERYONE has a black car. might as well stand out!
I didn't suggest blue sine I don't like that blue very much
WHY CAN'T THEY OFFER THAT NICE LIGHT BLUE ON IT?!

Dusty Ventures > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/29/2014 at 01:44

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This is a fantastic idea. Also these are what immediately sprung to mind for me

For blue:

For black:

Me, I'd get the black and do the new M-Sport livery as a wrap. Because my god is that thing sexy.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 01/29/2014 at 01:46

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I wish they offered the Sterling Grey or Ruby Red! I'd pick Ruby Red before the turbo kicks in!(another bad car joke)

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Singhjr96 01/29/2014 at 01:51

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You bring up points I hadn't considered. Thank you!

Squid > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:54

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Ok so I have had a black car, washing is going to be a little more often and you will need to be generous with your waxing and finding a wax that works with the black. With regards to the higher interior temperatures, tint the windows- seriously just tint them. You can go dark on the back like 5% and mediumish on the front ~15-20% and then you can revel in the glory of an efficient A/C system, or don't tint and never be comfortable as the A/C won't be able to keep up with the heat transfer of the sun no matter what color car you have. Window tint doesn't keep interior temperatures lower when parked, but it allows your A/C to work efficiently at maintaining a comfortable temperature when driving.

Ok that is enough on window tint. . . Black looks dead sexy when it is clean but it gets dirty quickly. The good news is that there are quick detailers that are amazing at helping maintain your wax layer and cleaning off that dirt and dust and puddle splashes. You freak out about keeping the black car clean for the first year or so and then you start to ease up and then when you wax and polish it again you get amazed at how good it looks.

Really it depends upon how anal you are about having a clean car. If you are going to get a black car and plan on spending the time waxing and all that, invest in a DA polisher and learn how to use it and never fear the swirl and you will have a great layer of wax and a nicely maintained paint job. Just know that the front will start to look dull after about 90,000 miles of freeway driving. . .

On a funny note, the black ST with the Tuttle Click paper plates is where I bought my '07 ZX3 from back in '06. . . I will never ever buy another car from them nor will I ever have another car serviced by them. . . They are shit bags. Lazy dirty shit bags. I can't think of anything worse to call them right now but they are the lowest of the low and even lower. I had my name spelled wrong on my registration for my car and couldn't get it changed due to their incompetence and greed fueled frustration that they wouldn't make any money off me because of employee pricing and I already had a loan financed that they chose to disregard and tried to push a higher interest loan through their bank on me without my consent. . .

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:56

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Blue. Black just looks to....stockish.

Squid > Squid 01/29/2014 at 01:56

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Oh and I forgot, the black will blend in with traffic better and not draw too much attention too it from the lawman.

MtrRider Just Wants Doritos > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 01:58

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I thought the Focus ST came in Molten Orange, but it's only on the Fiesta ST.

I'd go for blue, but the red looks hot too. The grey scale cars blend in too much. This is a hot hatch, it's supposed to be fun so get it in a color.

I'd also get the ST3 package because Recaros.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > MtrRider Just Wants Doritos 01/29/2014 at 02:03

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I'd get the ST2 because I like the look of the partial leather Recaros better. I sat in both at NAIAS this year and the seats were VERY comfortable. Mind you, I'm 5'10" and 150lbs and fairly slim. The side bolstering is a bit too much IMO and would be ideal for those either like me or smaller. My dad, 6' and 200something lbs couldn't fit in them. I found it a bit of a hassle to get in the car because I'd always hit the side bolstering getting in. I haven't tried the regular ST1 cloth seats but it's the only one I can afford unless there's an ST2 for around $25k and I've looked around to no avail.

Great point about Fun Colors BTW.

Redd, the RX-7 that could > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 02:46

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Why is hood panel gap so damn big on all the Focus ST's? It almost looks like the hood latch has been released in the first one. I've wondered this for a long time and because of this flaw I would never get one, instead opting for the Fiesta.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 03:11

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I still say blue. too many black, white or silver cars on the road as it is.

Jonnywaffles > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 03:22

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I drive a black car currently. It was dirty last week thanks to the salt and slush of PA. I went to the car wash and got it pristine. Made the 3/4 mile trip home and my car was already noticeably dirty and easily failed the 10 foot rule. Never again will I buy a black car. Of course I am anal when it comes to washing my car so any spec of dirt bothers me. If you can live with dirt I'd say go with it but be warned it will always look slightly dirty... Even while you are washing it

Jonnywaffles > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 03:23

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I drive a black car currently. It was dirty last week thanks to the salt and slush of PA. I went to the car wash and got it pristine. Made the 3/4 mile trip home and my car was already noticeably dirty and easily failed the 10 foot rule. Never again will I buy a black car. Of course I am anal when it comes to washing my car so any spec of dirt bothers me. If you can live with dirt I'd say go with it but be warned it will always look slightly dirty... Even while you are washing it

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Redd, the RX-7 that could 01/29/2014 at 03:32

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I assume it has something to do with engine cooling?

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Jonnywaffles 01/29/2014 at 03:37

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For me, if its the spring/summer/fall seasons then yes I'm completely anal about keeping my car clean inside and out. In the winter, I'm a little more lenient with cleaning because I rarely have time then. But I could guarantee at least a decent washing once or twice a month in the winter. I'd just have to deal with it.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Squid 01/29/2014 at 03:42

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Curious. What's a DA polisher and what do you mean when you say the front will get dull? By that I mean how? You mean the metallic coating will lose its metallic look I assume.

Are there waxes that only work with certain colors?

And that is quite ironic, unfortunate but ironic.

Squid > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 04:10

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It will get sandblasted and over time lose its luster just due to being bombarded with bugs and the usual road grime. Maybe ford has started to use a 2 stage clear on the blacks now, if that is the case ignore the losing its shine. On my old fucus it was crappy one stage black so to begin with it wasn't the best starting point for maintaining a shine. Since they call it tuxedo black it leads me to believe there is a clear down so it should be easier to maintain a good finish.

DA refers to a dual action polisher, very little chance for swirls and is really the best way to go about polishing out the little imperfections that happen to a cars paint. Look up the /drive clean videos to see what the DA is/does and how to use it. Regardless of color car you get, it is a worth while investment if you want to be able to get all the little niggly scratches out of the paint.

It may be different with black paint with a clear coat over it, but when my car was out in the sun I would see areas where my varying pressure during the waxing left an uneven coat giving rise to weird looking swirls and stuff that you only notice when you stare at it. I was using Meguires NXT at first and then tried the NXT 2.0 thinking I'd get different results. . . Each wax is going to give you a different shine and level of protection, the trick is finding a wax that can be layered so you can get away with once a month waxings and just be able to maintain it with a spray detailer. I'm not the best at detailing, and I don't mean to scare you away from a black car, they are just a little more work if you want to have a nice show car shine on them. I mean lets face it a clean black car is just dead sexy.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > Squid 01/29/2014 at 04:20

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Well I know that the tuxedo black has a clear coat if that's the stage 2 you're talking about. A clean black car is indeed a sexy car. I could pay to have it professionally washed/waxed every month. I'm not the best washer dryer waxer or polisher at all. Ended up with noticeable swirl marks on the hood first time in washed it and it hadn't improved. I guess I should have noted this too but the car will be parked outside almost indefinitely because I live on my college campus and even when I'm at home it will be outside because we've got a Harley Davidson, a 911 and a bunch of random crap in my garage.

Squid > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 04:39

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Paint with a clear over it is much easier to care for than the single stage black with no clear. Even if it lives outside you just need to wash it with the 2 bucket method and keep your sponge clean and never ever drop it on the ground. Also avoid the automatic washes that have the flappy things that hit your car. A high quality wax will also hide some imperfections at different angles. My current cars trunk is scratched and fuckered up to all hell but with a nice thick coat of wax and looking at it from the side and not directly above, you would never know how fuckered up it really is.

Wax really is your best friend with a black car.

edlovessabarth > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 07:09

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First off congratulations! But I would give this advice, you'll have to worry about paint swirls and scratches just as much with the Performance Blue as you will with the Tuxedo Black because both are quite dark colours. Performance blue looks the sh*t in person, a family friend has an ST3 in this colour and I would highly recommend it. Its not too eye catching but it doesn't fade into the background either. Its your choice at the end of the day but to me black screams boring in the same way silver does.

Brian Silvestro > PetarVN, GLI Guy, now with stupid power 01/29/2014 at 08:03

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YEAH! Why do they not offer that blue, it's so nice!

ssidd47 > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 09:40

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When I chose my last new car, I ended up with the colour on my dealer lot. I had chosen a calm, cool, and lovely blue. I ended up with a fiery, passionate red. Now I'm a cop target, have higher insurance, and stand out like a sore thumb.

Fate is a funny beast. I fell in love with my car and wouldn't have it any other way. For Jalops like us, colour and beauty are only skin deep. We relish the roar of the engine, the melodious exhaust note, and the wind in our hair.

GTI MkVII > Redd, the RX-7 that could 01/29/2014 at 09:52

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Because Ford.

GTI MkVII > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 09:56

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As the owner of a black car (and not by choice), I'll vote for the blue all day. Black looks nice for one, maybe two days after a wax and thats it. The blue at least has some depth to it and is different compared to everything else on the road.

Dont succumb to what's easy or convenient. Go with what you truly want even if it means you'll have to wait a bit. If you're keeping the car long-term, you don't want to kick yourself later on about the color you chose.

gabdere > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 11:14

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I'd say go for the one you're having the best price on. Maybe the dealer will discount it if they don't have to get it from another dealer. If it was my choice, i'd go with black. I live in Quebec so we probably have similar conditions in the winter. I'd live with a dirty car 4 months out of 12 but would bring it to the occasional rinse to get the salt off. And when the summer would come, i'd become OCD

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > gabdere 01/29/2014 at 12:29

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That is something I never thought of! If they've already got it on the lot, then maybe they'll give me a better deal on it if they don't want to go through the hassle of getting one from another dealer...

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) 01/29/2014 at 12:30

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Is there any way to make a black car stand out then? detailing or some special design?

JeffFurbs > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 12:47

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The TV told me that this is a HOOT to drive

Jonnywaffles > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 12:54

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If you do go with black, I heavily advise you to get a dual action polisher. You will go insane from how bad your paint looks in the summer. I would go with the blue if I were you. But again is ultimately your decision and I'm sure you'll be happy with either color.

gabdere > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 12:59

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I think the client is paying for transportation when they bring it from another dealer tho. Ask them, you have nothing to loose

CCC (formerly CyclistCarCoexist) > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 13:01

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Some silver accents/outlining of various stuff. Imagine the st grille has the sides having a silver edge.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > gabdere 01/29/2014 at 13:59

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I'll have to give them a call later. So I'd have to pay for the delivery then? Not much of a problem I think. I mean the final purchase should be in March or late February but if I can call and have them find and deliver it sooner then I'll probably go with Blue.

gabdere > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 17:14

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When i was shopping for a 13' GTI, they didn't have any manual so they had to get it from another dealer and i had to pay for delivery. That was probably a sales tactic so i get one of the DSG in stock... Anyway, if they tell you that just tell them you'll go to the other dealer lol

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > gabdere 01/29/2014 at 17:24

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Oh..... well I can't do that. We've been going to this dealer since '99 so I think we can make some things work out for me.

In the end, I'm just picking the car and making half of the payments. I'm new to dealing with dealers and this is what I've learned:

1.If they want to make a sale, they'll do whatever it takes within reason to accomplish that.

2.If you know people that work there for a VERY long time, then there's an advantage to that.

3. the most important thing. NEVER CROSS-SHOP(read as never go to two different dealers on the same day and promise both you'll do something. It destroys my moral values which I've learned I shouldn't have when going to a dealer.

4. There's no shame in lowballing apparently

Do you remember how much your delivery was?

gabdere > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 17:38

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Can't recall... the more i think about it the more i think it was bullshit! I agree with what you say, theres no shame in lowballing, they are just going to say no.

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > gabdere 01/29/2014 at 18:06

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Well what are the possibilities of getting it under the sticker price? I'd say there's a good chance I could get $2k off the sticker, maybe a little more.

I hate to say this but I kinda enjoy hearing other peoples dealer horror stories. It's kinda like a pass time for me but it does teach me a thing or two.

Another question. Can you explain to me what "Polandball" is? I've been looking at them and cannot understand the point of them.

gabdere > K-Roll-PorscheTamer 01/29/2014 at 23:25

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2k seems a bit high, its easier to guess on used cars. And i have no idea what polandball is, never heard of that

K-Roll-PorscheTamer > gabdere 01/30/2014 at 10:20

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Well I guess I'll have to find out on both parts! :-D