About to buy a 2008 Prius - Color Choices for Visibility and Efficiency and Dirt ?

Okay, it is what I thought it would be. If you can reverse it, do so. It's not worth the $300. I got scammed with my Honda with that. They said they would also repair any stone chips when you take it in for its annual inspection...they obviously didn't. As for the waxes the dealer uses, NONE of their products will last a year. In fact, they probably advertise it as "never having to wax the car again...ever." I suggest not biting that hook. Even the good waxes such as Zaino only last about 6 months before having to reapply it again....and that's what anal retentive car buffs use (along with Zymol, Swissvax, Pinnacle, Chemical Guys, Collinite, Jeff's Werkstatt, Klasse, P21S, Victoria Wax, etc.)

I don't know how anal you are in keeping the car clean, but for long lasting waxes/sealants, try Zaino. If you want something cheaper, try Collinite - lasts just as long, 1/3 of the price, but not as reflective/deep. I recommend that over the more expensive Meguiar's, Turtle Wax, & Mother's that's available at Crappy Tire. And, for the love of peat, use proper towels to minimize swirl marks. :canada:

 

I forgot to comment on this. When checking around, ask the thickness of the vinyl that they will be using. Standard should be 8mil. Other ClearBra installers are 12mil but typically don't use 3M. I believe Xpel is 12mil, but not 100% sure. There are installers out there (dealers included) that use 4-6mil, so keep your eye out.

 

zaino is the bomb

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Of those three colors, I'd have gone with the red as being the best choice for a compromise between not showing dirt (black is the worst in that category IMHO) and being a little different. Black is beautiful, but the least durable of colors.

 

And Black shows every Swirl, Scratch, and Speck of dust especially when its clean. But it does look sharp when properlly maintained.

 

My order of colors was black, red, and silver. Silver was the first available so I took it and haven't regretted it to this day. It hides the dirt well, reflects the sun well, and is pretty visible in all weather except fog. I would have taken black first back then, but now I'm glad that I didn't. Glad you were able to get the color you wanted in a quick amount of time given that some people are waiting 8 weeks or more for their Prius..:canada:

 

I'm about to buy a 2009 and have been stressing over the color. I have a 2006 black and will never do black again (I hit a pedestrian and I think one of the reasons was she didn't see my car in the rain or hear it -- silent running -- and I didn't see her, plus that damn post on the left with the funny little window blocked my vision, and yada yada yada; she wasn't badly hurt, but I was completely humiliated). I like the dark blue (I know, not much better than black) but I only like it in certain lights -- sometimes it looks really royal blue, and sometimes it looks navy blue. Are these the same colors, or am I seeing a 2008 that's darker?

 

In Ottowa, the color of the car will have negligible effect on how hard your AC has to work; if you lived in Texas, where it gets truly hot, it would matter. Of the three choices you mentioned, red would probably be the best to meet your criteria for visibility and clean appearance. Black is the hardest color to maintain, I'm told. My Prius is Seaside Pearl, the glacial light blue color which I find hides dirt reasonably well.

The most visible color is yellow, which isn't available but should be.
Good luck and have fun.