Which color will age better long term?

M85Iroc-Z

M85Iroc-Z

Legacy Member
So im looking to pick up a 2015 Outback 3.6R this summer. This will be my main daily driver, and i intend on keeping it a long time (10-15 years). Im always on top with car maintenance and washes.

So here is a question about color. And i think the detailing section is appropriate for this topic. Which color will age better (keep a good look) with time?

Im going with either a dark midnight blue, or a dark red. I know the darker the color the more the
Aint swirls will show with time. Skratches...etc...

Opinions/thoughts?
 
Between the 2, I'd go with midnight blue. while swirls will be slightly more apparent over time, it has less chances of fading like a red pigmented would. that said, if you do in fact stay on top of maintenance and wax your car 3-4 times a year and make sure it gets decontaminated twice a year, you'll be fine with either color.
 
red over long term tend to get a little pink-ish. Buuuuuut color longevity varies from a make to another.

Higher end cars will tend to have less color issues than low end ones. Metallic paints are even harder to fade.
 
Well, with red that is my main concern. Color fade. And well with the blue its the paint swirls with time. Such a though choice. I have the time for washes, but waxing 3-4 times a year with decontamination might be a lot. I tend to wax and clay once a year.
 
DJD&G said:
red over long term tend to get a little pink-ish. Buuuuuut color longevity varies from a make to another
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With subaru that does tend to be the trend. Reds will fade if not maintained. On the lower models anyways. My 2005 outback was red, but the paint was like new. So hard to say.
 
M85Iroc-Z said:
Well, with red that is my main concern. Color fade. And well with the blue its the paint swirls with time. Such a though choice. I have the time for washes, but waxing 3-4 times a year with decontamination might be a lot. I tend to wax and clay once a year.
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Well, swirls are no big deal. When there's too much you just do a compound. You can wax it 1-4 times a year to help prevent it.
 
Old reds fade, now they have clearcoat over it, it wont fade, but the clearcoat tends tu burn and peel, witch has the same result.

If you want long term id go silver or white
 
White is ideal for swirls and scratches since you don't really see them. but it's always fucking dirty lol.

Silver is the most boring color but you don't see any imperfection on it. It's dirty? meh nobody will notice. Same for swirls and minor scratches.
But when wax time comes or compound you're going to swear a lot since you don't really see where you're going with both colors.

But seriously, you really thinking about keeping a subaru for 10-15 years? lol
 
DJD&G said:
But seriously, you really thinking about keeping a subaru for 10-15 years? lol
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I know its funny, but honestly yes. I still have my 2004 impreza which i bought new in 04. Ive "retired" to summer driving since the sti swap last year. But until that point it was my daily driver.

The car was very well maintained. As was the body/paint. Washed once a week in the winter. Regularly in the summer, clayed, waxed etc... And 10 years later, there is not a spec of rust on the car.

So in reality my intention of keeping a car long term like that is doable. And being a mechanic for subaru helps a lot for the mechanical stand point. Just wanted opinions on color longevity/maintenance.
 
Considering Subaru are the worst paint on the market, IMO, it's a little ironical to take the paint into considering. Honestly, all suby paint will be bad, no matters the color.

However, I think silver/charcoal are the best paint in term of aging.
 
Any dark color is a pain. I would go with red of your two choices. My red cars always looked good, dirty or not. As stated before, a long term bullet proof color choice is white.
 
Montreal300 said:
Any dark color is a pain. I would go with red of your two choices. My red cars always looked good, dirty or not. As stated before, a long term bullet proof color choice is white.
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White turns cream, show orange dot super easily, dirt will show easily on white and from numerous painter, white is one of the hardest color to perfectly match. Only Pros I see is that it show swirl less.
 
Own a white silver 1988 Saab 900 Turbo convertible…
Always looks clean… even when dirty!
best color in my book…
DSC04220_zpsced25fcf.jpg

But i luv black cars!
So my RX8 is stealth brilliant black!
Always needs to be washed after every ride!
IMG_20140428_150906_zpsee6bbb48.jpg
 
The best compromise is dark charcoal metallic paint. It will give you the depth and reflection of a very dark paint, but still retain some of the defect-hiding properties a silver paint has.
 
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