Having the unfortunate pleasure of totalling my 1994 Ranger supercab in a collision the Fri. before last, I went shopping for a new truck. I wanted something that was fairly cheap. I don’t need fancy stuff like power windows, or a CD player, although an AC is a must.
I go to a local Ford dealer to look at some Rangers. They had the supercabs, extended cabs, the sports. All of the ones at the front of the dealership were black and red. Granted, none of the ones up front were what I was looking for for other reasons, but I am puzzled by the popularity of black or red vehicles. Tan is a good color, because dirt blends in better.
Black and red are both nice colors, but not very practical for an automobile. A red car screams “GIVE ME A TICKET.” Not all shades of red do this, but the fire engine red of these trucks did. A black vehicle may look nice, but why does anyone really want to get into a hot oven every time they open the door?
After being non-commital to these vehicles in the front of the dealership, I was taken to the back lot, where I found the truck I bought. A silver 2003 Ford Ranger XL Regular cab, which actually feels like it has more headroom than the extended cab. Plus, 2-6000 cheaper than the other models. I prefer silver over plain white, and it reflects sunlight.
So y’all, what motivates you to get black or red vehicles? Or whatever your favorite color for cars may be.
I suppose for it is better to look good than to feel good
I bought a black car because it was the only color that looked good with the convertible top. There were only two choices in the top color, black and tan. I didn’t want a two-tone car and since there was no such thing as a tan Miata, straight from the factory, black it was. I have to wash it every other week, which I don’t think is outrageous and it’s not any more hot inside than other cars (once the temps reach 100 that is). Basic black works for me.
Around here the dealers all have their crazy colored cars, like yellow and poison green and pimp purple out near the street. I read somewhere that those cars are just to draw attention. Most people give them a once over and then choose something more practical.
I don’t personally own a black vehicle (or a red one!) but black is the sexiest vehicle color, hands down, no argument. My preferred semi-affordable car would be a black Pontiac Grand Am GT.
My daily driver is a pickup, and is beige in color. I have not washed it now since November of 2001 (1.5 years, natch), and until I drove through some absolute soup at a job site, it was really not noticeable. And this mud will go away too, I could go another couple years without washing the thing.
So convenient!
But seriously, I bought a black one because it matches my hair. It just looks . . . sexier!
And if it’s already 100 degrees outside anyway, I can’t imagine the differences in the inside temperature of different colored cars being too significant. Blasting the a/c for 30 seconds takes care of that anyway.
However, now that I am living (temporarily) outside the big metropolis and in the countryside, I had forgotten about those dirty flying things, which the country-folk people here call “birds”. Man, and some of them here must be HUGE, based on the amount of evidence left on the hood of my car.
Red. I foam at the mouth when I have a shot at a red car. I love red cars indiscriminately. Marcie favors teal blue and dark greens. Care to guess the colors of our two vehicles? When I was single, I had red car after red car. If I didn’t have a red car, I felt incomplete. I want a red car right now. If I won the lottery, I’d buy a red car, if Marcie would let me.
I have a red sports car. I’ve had it for three or four years now. I’ve had exactly one ticket in all that time, and that was because I was going 95.
I got it red because it was used, and that was all they had. But that would have been my preference anyway, because sports cars just look better in red.
I’m trying to stick with the old international racing colors. I drove an MG for years (still have it), and it’s British Racing Green. I have a German car now; silver. If I ever get an Italian car, I’ll get a red one.
See, if I had the dough to buy a truck, I’d buy red (unless blaze orange were available ), for the simple reason that it’s easier to see it from way off when you parked it by the side of the logging road and went a-bush-whacking. And as for dirt showing, trucks should be dirty. If the thing’s going to be clean, whaddya need a pickup for, anyways?
I drive a happy little yellow truck, and it’s surprisingly like a shield of invisibility for radar guns. Or maybe cops just don’t want to be blinded pulling me over.
Black is sexy, and red is entirely too cliched for a truck.
Speaking of cliches, my last two cars have been red convertibles. I got both of them after I retired from teaching. I think it has to do with my age…the last hurrah and all that.
I noted the OP lives in Texas - yes, overheating could be a problem.
Up here around Chicago, however, having a solar boost to the heating system is an asset during the winter, so a black car is somewhat practical.
As for red… Almost every car/pickup I’ve owned or driven has been red. I have not had one speeding ticket in that whole time. In fact, I can’t even recall being pulled over. Maybe it’s because I obey the speed limit?
I used to have a Porsche 924. (Don’t laugh. If it didn’t have “Porsche” on it, it would have been considered a very good car indeed!) It was bright yellow (“Rallie Gelb”), and it was much more visible than any bright red car. If you want a ticket, get bright yellow. (Actually, I never got a ticket in the 924; but I did get hit for $300 in the 911, which was white.)
This reminds me of an episode of Wings. I don’t remember whether “Joe” was the anal-retentive one, or if it was “Brian”; but I think that’s right. Anyway, Joe says, “Do you know why I don’t have a Ferrari?” Brian says, “Because they don’t come in brown?”
<cough> Try living someplace where it actually gets, you know, hot. The majority of cars and trucks here are white or tan. Even the school busses have white roofs. I leave work at 3:30, just about the hot part of the day. My AC routine is about a minute on max, vent with the windows down a touch to push the overheated air out of the car, then windows up and switch to recirculate for about ten minutes, then switch back to ventilate. Over the next twenty minutes or so, the setting goes from maximum down to whatever keeps it comfortable. A couple times a summer, like when it’s 115, I leave it at max for the entire forty-five minutes home.
One guy at work does have a black Supra. His vanity plate: AZ OVEN.
), for the simple reason that it’s easier to see it from way off when you parked it by the side of the logging road and went a-bush-whacking. And as for dirt showing, trucks should be dirty. If the thing’s going to be clean, whaddya need a pickup for, anyways?