# Discussion thread for the "Polls only" thread (Part 3) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 29, 2026, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157 "2026-01-29T18:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 148
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2941 "2026-09-09T16:16:03Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > \*Are Dopers mostly old men who drive old cars that predate the greyscale preference? My theory is that greyscale car colors aren’t so much a consumer preference, but more a side effect of the fact that dealers are now the ones who decide what color cars to order, not the end buyer. It used to be, prior to ~1980, when you bought a new car you got to pick exactly what options and colors you wanted, and then the dealer ordered it from the factory, and you picked it up ~6 weeks later. Nowadays although I think you still theoretically can order a car that way, most people just buy a car off the dealer’s lot from whatever they have in stock. And like @Mean_Mr.Mustard’s poll shows, most people don’t really prioritize color as long as the car has whatever other features they want. IMO this incentivizes dealers to order cars in colors that are boring, but inoffensive. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2942 "2026-09-09T16:23:39Z")
Do car dealers still have paper brochures? When we bought our current car, they had a model in their inventory which was the same color as the one on the cover of the brochure. We would have to wait months for a different color. So we bought that one. And it had a moonroof, which we open when the weather is right. We bought our two previous cars the same way, as we couldn’t wait for a car. So our last three car purchases were due to availability and happened to match the color on the respective brochure. So we had yellow, then red, and now blue. Favorite all-time color was our SC2 Saturn in plum. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2943 "2026-09-09T16:28:05Z")
I selected my current vehicle because it was the only one on the lot that fit all my requirements (color was not one of them). However, it does have a really cool, premium-priced color that I’ve come to appreciate. I have had several compliments from strangers who noticed and liked the color. mmm ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2944 "2026-09-09T16:30:46Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > IMO this incentivizes dealers to order cars in colors that are boring, but inoffensive. This is exactly right, IMO. The blue Mazda SUV which we bought in 2008 had sat on the dealer’s lot for nearly a year, and the salesman told us that the color was the reason why. Car dealers are sitting with, typically, several million dollars of inventory on their lots. They want it to move, and with some exceptions, inoffensive colors sell better, and more quickly. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2945 "2026-09-09T16:38:32Z")
We didn’t have a choice of color for one of our cars - it was only available in one color. Fortunately, it’s a shade of blue that I like. ETA: No, it is not a Model T! ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2946 "2026-09-09T16:44:15Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > They want it to move, and with some exceptions, inoffensive colors sell better, and more quickly. Yes, that certainly seems to be the dynamic. Have a pretty one in a bright color in the ads, and kits of boring ones that few people will outright reject on the lot. I just wish they stocked some pale blue, or light tan, or heck, red or dark green along with the white/silver/dark gray/black palette. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2947 "2026-09-09T16:50:02Z")
Paint has become damnably expensive in recent years. I mean, really REALLY expensive. My theory is this is a big part of it. Yellows, Reds, Blues, solid colors. It’s several hundred dollars per gallon. This adds up. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2948 "2026-09-09T16:51:52Z")
On how my wife and I wound up with the colorful fleet which we have: - As noted above, the Mazda had been sitting on the dealer’s lot due to the blue color, and we got a good deal on it, as a result. - When I decided to buy a Mustang, I wanted the metallic red, with a specific trim package. The salesman at the local Ford dealer did a search for that set of requirements, found _one_ car which had it (at a dealer in New Jersey), and had it transported to Illinois for me. It added about a week to the purchase process. - Our Corvette was purchased by my late father-in-law, who left it to us in his will. He had custom-ordered it, with exactly the features he wanted (including the blue paint), and signed up for a special Corvette program, where he and my wife picked the car up at the National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green (adjacent to the GM factory where it was built). Re: sunroofs. I’ve never sought them out, and when we’ve had cars that have/had sunroofs, they are rarely used. In both cases (our current Mazda, and my old PT Cruiser), we bought the car off the lot, and the sunroof happened to be a feature that the car had. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2949 "2026-09-09T17:03:06Z")
Aerodynamic considerations deleted the “wing window” on cars. This was a really nice feature, could crack it open without noise, unlike rolling the window down a crack, which quickly becomes fatiguing. It just doesn’t work well. A sunroof is sort of a way to get that back. I never drove around with it open all the way, but I liked to crack it a bit. Still not as nice as “wing windows”. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2950 "2026-09-09T17:09:18Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > It used to be, prior to ~1980, when you bought a new car you got to pick exactly what options and colors you wanted, and then the dealer ordered it from the factory, and you picked it up ~6 weeks later. We insisted on this in 2020 (for features, not color). The dealer was really upset at our insistence on getting what we wanted, and kept saying, “But you’ll have to _wait six weeks_.” We said we knew, and we didn’t care, but it seemed to really bother the salesman. They eventually let us, but seemed quite put out. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2951 "2026-09-09T17:27:20Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#): > > They eventually let us, but seemed quite put out. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if many car dealers instruct their salespeople to do anything possible to sell a car that’s already on the lot, rather than a custom order or a swap from another dealer. When I bought my Mustang, I went to a dealer which had a Stang with the right engine/transmission package (V6, stick), so I could make a test drive; the issue with that car, for me, was that it was in black. The salesman really _really_ wanted to sell that car to me, and kept trying to cut a better deal, rather than having to do an exchange with the New Jersey dealer which had the car I wanted; he gave me a little grief about holding out for the red. But, when I came to pick up the car, he took me aside, and said, “I know I gave you a hard time about the red paint, but when I saw your car all cleaned up, and saw how gorgeous it looks, I understood.” ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2952 "2026-09-09T17:42:48Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > It wouldn’t surprise me at all if many car dealers instruct their salespeople to do anything possible to sell a car that’s already on the lot, rather than a custom order or a swap from another dealer. Yeah, as I understand it, the dealer has borrowed money to buy the cars on the lot and is paying interest on that inventory. If they special order a car, there is practically no interest paid since it’s a quick turnaround for them, but they’re paying for the cars on the lot that didn’t sell yet. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2953 "2026-09-09T17:52:59Z")
I buy a car that has room enough, which I didn’t really see as an option on the list. I also will only buy an electric vehicle, so I voted for drivetrain. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2954 "2026-09-09T18:22:29Z")
When I bought my current car (an SUV), my main criterion was that it have enough trunk space to hold a wheelchair. My mother could walk, but she was getting old enough that we knew that walkers and wheelchairs were in her future. It is “glacier blue”, a light blue with a grayish tinge. I live in the desert, and dark-colored vehicles are miserable in the summer. ---
**Author:** ![ricepad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@ricepad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ricepad)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2955 "2026-09-09T18:25:06Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > I live in the desert, and dark-colored vehicles are miserable in the summer. My mom grew up in Phoenix and we visited family there for a week or two probably at least every other year during our summer breaks from school, and I think you could have left out the “…and dark-colored vehicles are…”! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2956 "2026-09-09T18:30:49Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > I live in the desert, and dark-colored vehicles are miserable in the summer. Yeah, but also very popular with a certain type of driver- usually very large vehicles, like the Suburban, F150, etc. I used to drive a Manual transmission, but the arthritis in my knees have meant my main daily driver has a automatic. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2957 "2026-09-09T18:42:53Z")
After a decade in a car that was not physically a good fit, we bought one that fit me, plus it’s a PHEV. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2958 "2026-09-09T19:18:14Z")
My main criteria for cars are: Does it hold enough? Can i park it? (Exterior size and turning radius) Is it safe? Then i look at “drive train”, which was electric for my latest car. My husband and i are both pretty average in size. He’s slightly shorter than average for a man and I’m slightly taller than average for a woman, so we generally fit into any car designed for the US market. I did once test drive a car with the A-pillar exactly blocking my view when i wanted to merge into traffic, so i guess that one “didn’t fit”, but that’s unusual. ---
**Author:** ![Jegpeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jegpeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jegpeg)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2026, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2959 "2026-09-09T23:27:25Z")
My main criteria for cars are: Fuel Economy Reliability / Safety Comfort (how comfortable are the seats, level of noise, etc) Luggage space ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2026, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157/2960 "2026-09-10T04:12:21Z")
Other: crunchability of vehicle. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=147) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/discussion-thread-for-the-polls-only-thread-part-3/1027157.md?page=149)