# Why Don't Cars Come in two colors now? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 13, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161 "2013-10-13T21:37:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/1 "2013-10-13T21:37:12Z")
A lot of 1950’s cars came with two colors-one for the body and one for the roof. there were even models that had 3 colors. I find the look attractive-why did dual color cars die out? was it too costly to paint them? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/2 "2013-10-13T21:51:31Z")
Fashions change. But there are still some two-tone versions of cars occasionally, and likely they’ll become more prevalent soon enough. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/3 "2013-10-13T21:53:17Z")
For that matter, why don’t more people decorate their cars? Maybe it’s just my naivete, but it seems to me that a “car tattoo artist” could do some serious business. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/4 "2013-10-13T21:53:35Z")
I know the old Minis roofs were a separate piece, so could easily be painted different. With one-piece construction, it’s simpler to go all one color. Modern MINI Coopers are painted with masking to get the contrasting roof. There is also a fashion and style convention. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/5 "2013-10-13T21:54:07Z")
Public taste + what the automakers think will make their product irresistible to buyers. I guarantee you the minute a marketing survey comes back with “24% of those surveyed indicated they would buy our model if it came in a tritone paint job” three-color paint robots will be working overtime. That said, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Bugatti Veyron that wasn’t bicolored. Does that count? ---
**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:** [October 13, 2013, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/6 "2013-10-13T22:21:21Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Public taste + what the automakers think will make their product irresistible to buyers. I guarantee you the minute a marketing survey comes back with “24% of those surveyed indicated they would buy our model if it came in a tritone paint job” three-color paint robots will be working overtime. We have a winner. The reason why manufacturers don’t do this anymore (or any number of things that **ralph124c** has asked about over the years) is that it _is_ out of fashion, and the (the manufacturers) have no evidence that there’s any sort of significant demand for it any longer. One nostalgic guy in the Boston area does not a sustainable market make. 😉 And, I can guarantee you, manufacturers _do_ research the heck out of these things. All of these “amazingly untapped markets” that crop up in threads like this almost undoubtedly have been looked at, and have been found to simply not be big enough to be worth going after. ---
**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:** [October 13, 2013, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/7 "2013-10-13T22:23:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > For that matter, why don’t more people decorate their cars? Maybe it’s just my naivete, but it seems to me that a “car tattoo artist” could do some serious business. I suspect that you don’t hang out in the right sort of neighborhoods. In certain parts of the Chicago area, you see an awful lot of cars that have been decorated / modified / tuned. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/8 "2013-10-13T22:45:54Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > For that matter, why don’t more people decorate their cars? Maybe it’s just my naivete, but it seems to me that a “car tattoo artist” could do some serious business. WAG here, but maybe because custom-painted/decorated cars may be more difficult to resell than a more “boring”-coloured car. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/9 "2013-10-13T22:57:16Z")
My car is two toned. Black with charcoal grey. I could have gotten it in a less subtle color combo. Straight from the factory, not custom. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/10 "2013-10-13T23:01:56Z")
I think Jeep Wranglers can still be had in two-tone, as can the Toyota FJ. So can the Mini Cooper. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/11 "2013-10-13T23:20:15Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I think Jeep Wranglers can still be had in two-tone, as can the Toyota FJ. So can the Mini Cooper. Mine is a Subaru. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/12 "2013-10-13T23:21:49Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Mine is a Subaru. Ah, yes. I did some online shopping for a 'Ru a year or so back and remember being startled and charmed by the color mix selection. I shouldn’t have been; they are legion both here and back in California, two tones and all. Just goes to show how well Subarus blend into the landscape… ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/13 "2013-10-13T23:31:18Z")
I was looking through a lot of the higher-end cars this summer, and they all had an option for a two-tone paint job. It usually came as part of a deluxe detail & performance package. So, my guess as to why we don’t see them as often these days is “money.” ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/14 "2013-10-13T23:32:25Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > I was looking through a lot of the higher-end cars this summer, and they all had an option for a two-tone paint job. It usually came as part of a deluxe detail & performance package. So, my guess as to why we don’t see them as often these days is “money.” No, you’ve already answered your own question, I think: it’s because the appeal is limited. Only those who go for an expensive “look at me” option are interested. In this case, the two-toning (subtle, I’m sure, like pewter and silver or maroon and red) is to inform us heathens that they are driving an _extra_-spensive Merc/Porsche/Bimmer/Lexus. ---
**Author:** ![Glazer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a88e57/32.png) [@Glazer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glazer)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2013, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/15 "2013-10-13T23:34:33Z")
Modern cars have a more flowing all one piece look to them. Older cars the roof and fenders looked like separate parts. Contrast made these separate parts look better. Newer cars like the FJ or Mini and a few others have that separate part look thus look good two tone. Also new cars are often painted by dipping. It would add a lot to the cost to mask dip mask dip rather than just dip. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/16 "2013-10-14T00:12:52Z")
> [@Glazer](#): > > Modern cars have a more flowing all one piece look to them. Older cars the roof and fenders looked like separate parts. Contrast made these separate parts look better. Newer cars like the FJ or Mini and a few others have that separate part look thus look good two tone. Also new cars are often painted by dipping. It would add a lot to the cost to mask dip mask dip rather than just dip. I agree, except for the ‘dipping’ part. Only small industrial items are painted that way, it’s slow, inefficient, and gives mediocre results. Two-tone just looks gaudy by today’s standards, same as chrome (anything) or tail-fins or white-wall tires do. ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/17 "2013-10-14T00:53:15Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > For that matter, why don’t more people decorate their cars? Maybe it’s just my naivete, but it seems to me that a “car tattoo artist” could do some serious business. It’s called a Sharpie job, and [here’s an article](http://www.carbuzz.com/news/2011/10/19/Top-5-Sharpie-Cars-7705302/) on the top 5. There are all sorts of other trends as well: vinyl wraps, plasti-dipping, fake vents, custom grills. Car decorating and customization is alive and well if you follow the car scene. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/18 "2013-10-14T01:39:34Z")
72% of cars made in the US were either white, black, silver, gray, or red. Given that data, it’s clear that people like neutral colors. Multiple colors are hardly neutral. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/19 "2013-10-14T01:46:00Z")
Tastes and fashion change. You don’t see any more exterior fake wood paneling, vinyl tops, or chrome bumpers either. Lapel widths, skirt lengths, music genres, and car colors all change. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161/20 "2013-10-14T02:05:57Z")
It’s interesting that about the same time two-tone cars were popular, so were [these](http://www.americanaclassicvintage.com/blogg/2010/04/13/saddle-oxfords/). Tastes change. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-cars-come-in-two-colors-now/671161.md?page=2)