Article: Why Are Popular Car Colors So Boring? A Brief History of Car Paint Colors (2/24/2021)

One of the major considerations in my choice of the 2020 Dodge Charger was the availability of this paint color:

"Frostbite"

@moe-parr, It's a beauty.....love the color.

The car colors in my immediate family since 2000:

3 white

3 GREEN

2 bronze

1 gold - present ride

1 silver

1 blue

1 black

1 red

IMO, they're only "boring" if you're trying to place colors from fifty years ago on today's cars. It doesn't work. Todays' cars look better in today's colors. The contemporary paints are deep, lustrous, and have a bright metallic content which accentuates the smoother, more flowing lines of the cars and highlights the gentle curves and subtle accents in the design. Colors from the fifties and sixties had to help the design. Cars were partitioned by brightwork, lending the colors to a ready and attractive two-tone or even three-tone palette. There are very few cars made today that lend themselves to two-toning or even the non-metallic finishes and pastel colors that looked so sensational on the cars we grew up with.  

Here's an example, this is Ford's "Magnetic." Some would call it boring gray or charcoal. But it is incredibly vibrant and looks great on my Fiesta ST (more so when it's nice and clean). Fifty years ago, this would have been a custom paint job.

@jkuvakas, Todays styling would clash with yesterdays colors, no question. Since 1997, I've had the following colors: Gray (1), Silver (1), White (1), red (2) these are both Corvettes, and Black (3.)

I notice some car companies are starting to add livelier colors, bronze, electric blue, metallic lime, etc.  Nissan is one company that comes to mind on this point.  It's nice to see this change and also some different color roofs.

My garage has one black lincoln and one (old) silver PT Cruiser.  But I miss the bright colors of yesteryear.   

@jack-dodds, I noticed that some of the SUVs are going 2-tone, white or red bodies with black roofs....makes for a nice look.

@jkuvakasInteresting take on this subject.  Looking across the room at my display cases of forties and fifties I can see the point about chrome trim and body design.  I think the Mini is a modern version of your point. It has a great color selection and they all work well with the body design.

@marmon16, good point. There are still some designs that are helped by two-toning, as you and John B have noted. I'm seeing more cars with black roofs and several two-tone SUVs and CUVs.

Here's another point. Have you noticed that there are a lot of new offerings available in a multitude of colors, almost all entry-level and less expensive and almost invariably aimed at a younger audience? Check out the color palettes for cars like the Kia Soul, Sonic, Veloster, and others. It seems younger folks are willing to buy brighter colors! Maybe colors seem limited to folks our age because that's what we want to buy!!

@jkuvakas, My 75 year old buddy drives a bright orange Veloster.

@sizedoesmatter, I would as well, John. But the target market for cars like that skews a bit younger than him and me. That being said, I'm glad it does because it makes colors like that available to folks like us. When I bought my Fiesta ST, they had a 2019 model in Lime Green. I thought it was gorgeous!  Yet, try as I might, I couldn't get any sort of a deal on it. But, they were desperate to sell the new 2018 I bought. It was Magnetic but for a nearly $2000 difference, I couldn't justify the green one. 

That day was an interesting one. I spent nearly eight hours at the dealership hammering out the deal. I have to admit, I really enjoy sitting on the other side of the deal and watching a salesman work hard for his money! 

@jkuvakas, Eight hours is a long day. Glad it was a fun and worthwhile experience for you.

@sizedoesmatter, buying a new car, for me, is an adventure. I keep saying, "This is how this deal is going to work out." The sales staff never believes me at first. I love that moment when my salesman looks at me and it dawns on him that I really do know what I'm talking about. We always get to eh point where I have to advise the salesman/woman that it's time to let me speak to the manager. I've frequently gone to a dealership with friends and congregants. I always tell them, "We're going to respect the staff. We're not going to get upset. But, we're going to take our time and negotiate a good deal."