How to pick a color

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ronald56 @ Jun 15 2007, 08:24 PM) [snapback]462714[/snapback]</div>

Well, everyone is going to try to steer you to their fave Prius color, as you have seen

My thought process was a bit different. Sure, I love the red... although I have always been partial to white cars, especially if they have black trim... ah, decisions! But I laid down my criteria. Safety - which, color is most 'visible', and wear - which color would show the least dirt, chips, etc. And that's what I went with.

Research seemed to say the silver is the 'safest' color, with white following, then light colors in general. So I opted for a light color. Toyota's primer is white, another plus for a light color. Light colors in general show less dirt. And although Driftwood would show the least dirt, I absolutely hate brown as a color, and would not want to live with it on a daily basis. So, my choices were white, silver pine mica (which I figured would be close to silver as a 'safe' color), and silver.

Because I like white cars in general, I was leaning toward the white, although my favorite color in general is green. DH liked the green. So we told the dealer to get us either white or silver pine mica, with a gray interior and package 3.

He found us a silver pine mica, and I have been getting many compliments on the color

So, my advice would be to decide what you want from a color, or if you want to go on looks alone. If you answer is looks alone, if you can, go to RI as the previous poster said, and look at the things side by side. If you take a different approach, as I did, then really seeing the cars in person really won't be crucial; the pics in the Prius literature and on the net will be enough.

 

I bought a Silver minivan, and a friend who was a school bus drives scolded me, saying that silver dissapears in fog. I got into an accident in a light brown minivan, becuase a driver pulled straight out in front of me, and she said she hadn't seen me because the brown blended in with the hillsides.

It is interresting to hear that there are stats about which color is most visible, I will need to do a search for those.

Ronald, let us know what you end up with. I am still routing for Silver Pine Mica, and I noticed there is a Touring edition right at the front of the row at the Toyota dealer posted above.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(NoMoShocks @ Jun 17 2007, 05:51 AM) [snapback]463370[/snapback]</div>

If you are referring to the picture in POST #17 of the blue and SPM next to each other, I took that a couple of months ago at another Toyota Dealer in Wesley Chapel, Florida. Both of those Prius's were SOLD, and they were gone the very next day. This was way back in the "beginning" of our decision making process of which color our '07 Touring we wanted to purchase (order), the Seaside Pearl -or- Silver Pine Mica. At that point we had it narrowed down to Package #5, Touring, Gray cloth interior.... just had to decide on which of the two exterior colors we wanted.... final decision (as you can see in avitar) was Silver Pine Mica !!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ichabod @ Jun 16 2007, 09:36 AM) [snapback]462965[/snapback]</div>

I just bought a Barcelona Red and it is gray inside. Absolutely gorgeous. LOVE it. I am a RED person anyway.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ronald56 @ Jun 17 2007, 09:27 AM) [snapback]463403[/snapback]</div>

You better look fast because, like I told you, it's "end-of-year" for the 2007 and from what I understand the Toyota (Japan) production plans STOPS making 2007's around July 31st ?? That's like 6 weeks away !!

Silver Pine Mica is a great, soothing, dignified and one might say a "mellow" color with quite a bit of clear coat and metallic. White is more of a "flat" color and (just MY opinion) is what many "fleets" buy (County vehicles, Utility Company vehicles, etc.) although a great color for visibility (actually the BEST according to stats.) and a great color for very hot weather climates like down south, Florida, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, southern Cal., etc.). Both exterior colors look very good with bisque (remember it is LIGHTER color than beige) interiors, although both would still be attractive with gray interiors too.
So what color HAVE you seen........... the Silver Pine Mica ?? Even if no white Prius's, you should have seen another Toyota in "white" like a Corolla or something just to give you a general idea of the color, and had the salesperson park it side-by-side next to the Silver Pine Mica !!
[attachmentid=8968]
[attachmentid=8970]

 

I just added two pics to post #27 (above)

Like I said previously, two definitely "different" colors............ it's all a matter of what is going to be pleasing to YOU !! The very, very, very worse thing is to have a vehicle for years and NOT be "happy" with the exterior color choice.
To some, exterior color is not that important, while to others it is very, very important. To US (Wife and I) exterior color was a MAJOR factor !! Our decision was initially between the Seaside Pearl (blue) and the Silver Pine Mica. We were lucky enough (timing is everything) to just happen to find a Toyota Dealer (not the one we were actually buying from) that has both colors, and believe it or not, they were even (just by luck) parked next to one another. Although one was a Touring and the other wasn't, didn't matter.... as we did have a great chance to see both colors TOGETHER, in the same sunlight. In addition to walking around both vehicles for nearly 30 minutes, I snapped several pictures of both, but right at that point, our mind was then made up on the Silver Pine Mica. The blue (Seaside Pearl) was very nice, but (to make a long story short) it was the exact color of a 1997 Chevy Malibu that my Wife had a few years back, and too many "bad" memories of that trouble ridden car was brought up by the blue.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ronald56 @ Jun 15 2007, 07:24 PM) [snapback]462714[/snapback]</div>

Go to Toyota's web site--you can play with the colors in a matter of seconds.

 

I would never get another car in black or any dark color. My current car is a 03 dark blue deville. It attracts everything so I end up cleaning it twice a day. But my white explorer I only have to clean once a week. Thats why I'm considering white. But thats just my opinion.

 

Easy, choose red.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ronald56 @ Jun 15 2007, 07:24 PM) [snapback]462714[/snapback]</div>

I would agree. I thought I would like the red until I saw it on the car. I went with White, because the Bisque leather interior and wood grain moldings look AWESOME with it.
Hope you can see them all in person. It will make a difference!

 

The interior of lighter color cars stay cooler so I'd go with white, silver or mica green.

Red attracts too much attention from the police.

Nothing looks better than a black car when its clean and nothing is harder to keep clean than a black car. Black also gets too hot in the summer.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(8x8 @ Jun 18 2007, 02:48 PM) [snapback]464294[/snapback]</div>

But the Zen-like experience of driving the Prius means that I now go at or below the speed limit instead of being a leadfoot!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ronald56 @ Jun 19 2007, 07:01 AM) [snapback]464551[/snapback]</div>

I don't know, or can speak for Wendlyn, but I have read (here on PriusChat) that many Prius buyers like to get aftermarket installed leather. They get the cloth interior in package 1,2,3,4,or 5 and have an automotive upholstery shop remove the cloth seat "coverings" and replace with a bit more padding and leather "coverings".... thus leather seats. You can also have your console cover and door panels done too so in essence it will now be as good, or better than the Toyota leather in Package 6, except you don't get a leather wrapped steering wheel. Oh yes, you can also add heated seats at this point of installation. An option many people up North just love in the cold winters (and Fall). From what I "hear" (read) the quality of aftermarket leather is usually much better than Toyoya factory installed, but I don't know for fact, as I have cloth (package 5) and have no intensions of changing to leather. Leather is just too "hot to the touch" down here in Florida, no matter how much window tint.

 

You "newbies" crack me up. When I bought mine, over a year ago, it was some kind of metallic beige or white, take it or leave it. I went for the white, and really like it. Stays cooler and cleaner than most other colors, and works for me. Color choice, what's that?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(8x8 @ Jun 18 2007, 02:48 PM) [snapback]464294[/snapback]</div>

i agree about black being very hard to keep clean...

but as far as hot.... hot is hot.... i've had black cars and they are NO hotter to get into than a white or silver car.... what IS important is to get ANY car tinted.... THAT makes a difference and keeps the heat out....

i do so giggle when i hear "black cars are so hot"

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(subarutoo @ Jun 19 2007, 12:47 PM) [snapback]464839[/snapback]</div>

plain and simple.... i most likely wouldn't have bought one...... one of the bigger reasons i strayed from the honda civic hybrid before i even started looking at the prius: i HATED their color choices for their hybrids.....

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(8x8 @ Jun 18 2007, 04:48 PM) [snapback]464294[/snapback]</div>

I have a Barcelona red (only been a couple of months mind you) and can't say that the police has given a second look. I put this down to it being a Prius - if it were a mustang or other such muscle car, the red may garner more attention but a Prius!

We love the color, color has always been a major factor in purchasing a car for me and I would not by a car in a color that it was not sure about.