Dad's getting his Volt on Saturday

"Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing." (granfury)
06/07/2018 at 21:10 • Filed to: None

Like me, he absolutely hates black interiors on cars. But in all of Southern California there were only one or two, maybe, that didn’t have black, leather or cloth. Rather than waiting a few days and getting what he actually wants, he’s bowing to the pressure and buying one with black leather instead of grey cloth. At least it’s a lease so he’s not stuck with it forever.

This bugs me. I looked at Mustangs and Camaros - almost all have black interiors. I looked at Miatas - no choice there either. With high belt lines and slits for windows, a bright interior makes a world of difference IMHO. I’m sure there are plenty of other vehicles that force you into this, and we as consumers just roll over and take it, just like with transmission choice. NO NO NO NO NO! Take a stand! Wait a few days or weeks and get what you prefer, not settling for just what’s available. This just reinforces their belief that this is what we actually want, when really it’s just apathy and desperation on the part of the consumer.

Excuse me whilst I go out and clean my beige-interiored, manual-transmissioned unicorn, hoping that nobody ever does anything to harm it...

DISCUSSION (13)

C62030 > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/07/2018 at 21:41

I couldn’t agree more. The only thing dingier than a black interior is a black leather one.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/07/2018 at 21:49

This is why I think the majority of automotive manufacturers are fundamentally flawed. I don’t mind waiting for a car to be built* to my specifications - my choice in color, trim, and interior. But apparently most people don’t think that way - or don’t complain loudly enough about it.

* But alas, as a poor peasant, I have only ever bought used vehicles. So my opinion is probably moot.

Stapleface > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/07/2018 at 21:58

Yes, black interiors suuuuuuck in the summer. Although the last four cars I’ve bought have all had balck interior as that’s how they came with the exterior color.

I know Ford is usually pretty good about letting you pick what you want, at least when it comes to the F150. The last two trucks my father bought he has been able to order pretty much exactly how we wanted.

7:07 > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/07/2018 at 22:03

Remote start from your phone (or keyfob) should take care of the extra heat during the Summer.

Enjoy the Volt!

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/07/2018 at 22:22

You have to pick and choose. Some interiors work better with some cars. Black interior in my black BMW? Boring and uninspired. Black interior in my bright yellow Neon? Really spiffy, nicely contrasting, and infinitely nicer than the base greige.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > 7:07
06/07/2018 at 22:24

Hopefully he’ll let me drive it when I go back to visit in a few months. The last time I was out there I borrowed the E320 and nearly went broke topping up the tank with premium. Being in the Midwest for five years I had forgotten how high gas prices were and how sucky the traffic was out there, and an hour in rush hour traffic killed any notion of moving back unless I was independently wealthy...

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
06/07/2018 at 22:30

Contrast is key. No matter what color exterior you have, you should never choose the same interior color. It reminds me of the malaise era where there were lots of choices but little contrast. And then VW Americanized the Rabbit and just did unspeakable things (although I have to say that I loved the dark red color and stripes on the seats in my black Rabbit GTI)

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/08/2018 at 00:43

Malaise era:

Your interior is red.

Your car is brown.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/08/2018 at 13:26

I absolutely dislike 90% of light interiors and I really really really can not stand light uper elements! I’ll take light accents on a dark interior as long as the upper element is dark too. I don’t want “airy” it looks like complete ass to me. I just can’t stand it. Give me a goddamn cock pit and all the buttons for everything on the center console not in a single touch screen where I have to hunt though menus. Hell I don’t want a screen at all! Give me a nice radiohead and tons of buttons. If I need directions I will use my phone cause let us be real, no in car GPS is up to date.

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/08/2018 at 14:49

I’m in agreement about the overly light interiors. The top of the dash needs to be black to minimize reflections. My E34 had a beige interior with a black dash and it was fine, but a buddy’s newer E34 had all beige and the reflections were friggin annoying.

I did put a fancy LCD stereo in the Mazda5, but after two weeks yanked it out and put the stocker back in. I like the buttons and knobs, and especially the simple climate controls. No look, just reach and adjust. Mazda got it right on the first try.

I could use an LCD for a backup camera and am still trying to figure out a good way to integrate one. It would be great if I could just use the iPad mini I use for audio and navigation, but I don’t know how to make it work as a composite monitor, if that is even possible.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/08/2018 at 16:24

Eh, I think 90% of cars don’t need backup cameras

Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing. > CaptDale - is secretly British
06/08/2018 at 17:44

I generally agree, but I think my car is in that 10% category. It’s really tough to see where the back end is, and I tend to leave several more feet behind me than necessary.

Kinja'd!!!

That slit that they call a rear window doesn’t help.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Full of the sound of the Gran Fury, signifying nothing.
06/08/2018 at 19:00

Are we talking Camaro? Cause I have driven a couple and felt fine with the size and seeing around. I just wish I could hang my arm on the window sill