So it's down to silver and black. Both are sedans (2004) and have near 20K miles. I've always wanted a black car but just the mention of it somehow invites all the whining about dirt, water spots and whatever else is attributed to the color. Is it really that bad, am I going to regret it after I get it home? It will be garage kept. Anyway, they are exactly the same.

I'm in the same boat, Ray.

I've settled on a 6MT Coupe, and REALLY want black, but live in a place where it's over 100 degrees more often than below....

Garaging will help, but you'll still want to wash it weekly and invest in a California Duster.

My convertible is black - not so much an issue with water spots, but the dust is a pain.

Giving it a good treatment with Zaino should help immensely.

DON'T BUY BLACK!!!!

I have a silver G35 coupe, but let me tell you about a black vehicle.

For many years I rode Harley motorcycles. And every couple years i ordered a new bike. . .I always ordered BLACK, because after all what's cooler than a black motorcycle. And a couple months after I left my deposit, the H-D dealer would call me and tell me my bike was in.

And off I'd go to the dealer, who would show me my bike. . .which was invariably, NOT black. Some years it was blue, sometimes red, sometimes silver. . .but never black. (and this happened about a half-dozen times) The dealer would always tell me the same story. . .Harley only builds a limited number of black bikes, and THIS was my bike. . .take it or leave it. so I always took it.

Well, I'm such a Harley fan that about 8 years ago I bought a Harley dealership. And the first thing my wife said after we owned the dealership was. . . . .let's get a black bike. So we did. . .a '98 Road Glide, beautiful black and chrome.

And let me tell you it was the most miserable year of my life. Every time I rode the bike it needed to be cleaned (and that was almost every day). Actually it didn't matter . . . .even if i didn't ride it got dust, pollen, etc and needed to be cleaned every day.

My advice. . .get something that's fun to drive, not something you're going to have to be a slave to. Get silver, or white.

Good luck. . . .Stups: I have two silver cars and a red car. . .and 3 motorcycles, 1 red/silver/white, 1 blue, 1 yellow/grey. . .NO BLACK.

I have to put in my vote for anything but black. I have owned 3 cars in my life, two of them were black. My first was a black 89 Honda Civic Si Hatchback. I loved it and knew no different. My second car was a black 98 Civic Coupe. Maybe the paint got crappier or something, but that car looked really scratched when I sold it last March, and I took really good care of it. Every tiny dent and scratch was clearly visible. Last March I was debating between a black and a silver 2005 G35 Sedan. I wanted black but my wife convinced me that it was time for a change so I got the silver one. I can now say that I will never ever buy another black car in my life. My wife owns a black 2002 Altima and I can't wait until it is gone (actually it is up for sale). I told her that she can get any car that she wants as long as it is not black. I suppose that you would say that I have seen the light (no pun intended).

The only way to find out how much trouble it is is be to buy one, and someday you probably will. It is not so much that they get dirty, because if you wash your car once per week most of the time it will be clean. The worst think is how dents and scratches are so clearly visible on them. Others may not notice as much but I gaurantee that you will know where every one of them ends up and that is what you will see every time you walk up to it.

I still wash my silver car once a week, I am sure my neighbors wonder why. If you never got closer than 5 feet to it you would think that it hasn't been dirty since the day I bought it. So my recommendation is to buy the silver one. Then again, you can get the bug out of your system and get the black one and X years from now when you sell it you can then buy something other than black and be glad that you won't have to make that mistake again.

Cheers

Thanks for replies guys. I live in Texas so I can relate to the heat. I can also relate to the black Harley, only I've only taken it out once this year, the baby has hijacked my weekends! Anyway, I bought the black one and will probably be on here giving the same advice that I didnt take. It is a beautiful car! My dad keeps his black Escalade looking sharp so I figured "hell, if a sixty year old man can do it, I should have no problem keeping a little car like that clean." We'll see I guess. Cool board BTW!

Glad to have you abord, Ray - Let's see some pics when you get a chance!!!

My S14 is black. I love it, looks great.

But I would never buy a brand new car black I think...except if it was a G35c with aero..then, screw the washing, the pollen, the water spots, I want it black.

Some cars are meant to be black.And such are S14s, G35cs, and Model Ts !