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Major indecision about exterior color

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Tslagrl

Tslagrl

Member
Aug 21, 2013
95
0
CT
#1
I need to confirm my order this Friday (23), but I'm still undecided on exterior color. I've never been this indecisive about something, its silly really, I've been reading these forums for weeks and watching youtube clips of Teslas and I still can't decide. Almost wish Tesla had a "pot-luck" option, LOL - because I know once I get the car I am going to love it whatever color it is.

Here are my rambling thoughts so far about colors. If it helps, I am female, 40, divorcee, with 1 child and dogs (not a soccer-Mom tho!). Definitely getting the pano roof, probably the silver 19" cyclone wheels, and I think we'd prefer the grey interior (possibly the performance as I like the contrast piping). Trim either lacewood or carbon fiber.

I think the car looks beautiful in the dark colors (black, blue, green) but worry they will be too much work for me to keep clean? Plenty of talk of swirl marks too. I'll look after the car, but I won't be obsessive about it. The problem is I have yet to see a dirty one on the street so I don't know how they look when less than clean. I wish the blue were lighter then I think this would be a much easier decision.
Brown is out.
White too I think from a "keeping it clean" standpoint. And my current vehicle is white so I'd like a change

Grey - this was my initial choice. But I've seen two in real life and they looked quite drab, which was disappointing and made me rethink.
Any thoughts on Silver?

Red - this is giving me sleepless nights. Somedays I am all for it, other days I hesitate about just how big and red it might be, and whether its going to be too flashy! When I see red cars on the street I either love or hate them, especially larger red cars (those all-red Volvos for example!). But even if you didn't order the MC red, would you agree its a great color on the MS? I just haven't seen any on the street yet. I wonder if this is a timeless red i will love, or get tired of in a year or two and wish I'd gone for a safer color choice. I've never had a red car. Can the red still look "classy"?

Anyway, I would love to hear any opinions you have about any of the colors - thanks! I just want to get the decisions out of the way so I can really look forward to it arriving :smile:
 
#2
I wanted Metallic Blue from the start. Didn't like the Signature Red.

White was nice, but . . . been there done that. I had a Porsche 10 years ago that was Metallic Blue wth tan interior, and loved it.

And then over time, the White started creeping up on me. I saw a few around town and they were awful nice, esp with the pano roof. My prev car was black, and I'd been there done that so I knew I was gonna try something different.

And then the Multi-Coat Reds appeared and really messed up my head. When I saw 'em in person it was like, wow, that's very nice. I have never owned a red car, let alone a hot red screamer car. But I prefer sleepers.

I kept the order for Metallic Blue. It's "In Production" at the factory as of this week. Guess I'm kinda stuck with Blue now :)
 
#5
I have black, and it definitely gets dirty fairly quickly. That being said, it still looks awesome when dirty (and stunning when clean). I have seen pretty much all the colors in real life, and I think Tesla has done a wonderful job with all of them (even green and brown which would typically not be my preference).

As far as the red, I have seen a couple of them (including one in a driveway on my run this morning), and I don't think they seem as flashy as other red cars (especially with the pano or black roof); however, they are obviously still much brighter than the other Telsa color options.

In my mind, all the colors are good choices.

-----------------------Update-----------------------------

Also, you mentioned Silver, and I really like silver on the Model S. I didn't seriously consider it for the same reason you don't want white... because I was looking for a different color from my previous car (silver).
 
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#6
Tslagrl said:
Red - this is giving me sleepless nights
Click to expand...

I'm the same on Red. Sometimes I love it, some times it's too flashy. But the main reason I decided against it is the increased chance of getting a ticket. I'm a fairly conservative driver most of the time, but it's easy to go a little too fast in the Model S. With Red you are significantly more likely to be pulled over, even it you are just going with the flow or traffic (which is generally quite a bit over the speed limit)

Personally, I'm still waffling between the Blue (a little too dark, almost black sometimes, harder to keep looking nice) and the Grey (a little too plain, but the very easy to maintain). I need to decide soon, but as you said in the endI'll probably be happy with either choice.
 
#7
One other factor -- the condo I live in has an underground garage, and it's full of Lexuses, BMW's, Mercedes, and as you walk by 'em the colors go something like gray, gray, gray, silver, white, white, black, black, silver, gray, white, gray, gray, etc. Very boring garage! Maybe for that reason alone I should've gotten Multi-Coat Red....
 
#8
White is an awesome color on any car from a keeping it clean standpoint. I had a white car and it always looked clean, even when it was dirty. Dark colors are always harder to keep clean. Personally I like blue cars though agree tesla should have made it a lighter more electric blue. I saw a red in person the other day IMHO I think it is the brightest color you can get on a MS
 
#9
Posted before but will reiterate my feelings. Is it possible for you to visit a showroom where they have the multi-coat red. I know everyone feels it is to flashy, but once you see the red it is very beautiful. Again it comes down to your own taste, before the mc red came out it was silver or white. It looks very nice in these colors except my wife thought the white was boring. So silver or red, once I was able to see a red in person, that was it. Good luck on you choice, you will enjoy the car in any color.
 
#10
Looks like we are all not making it any easier for you, Tslagrl :)

I'm in a real minority here but, I'd say Go Green! When dirty, it's not as obviously so as the Black or the semi-Black-masquerading-as-Blue. Green is very rare too even in the Model S-soaked SF Bay Area for example.

My car's received innumerable compliments on how elegant and classy a color it is (a la a tasteful Lexus or Aston Martin or Jaguar Green) for a car with these proportions and lines.

As for other colors, having seen all of them up close several times over, the multi-red looks really sharp but, it can be very divisive - I've heard some folks remark that it's not an 'appropriate' color for again, a car of these proportions.

White looks super-sharp and shows the car's lines beautifully but, I don't know how much of a pain it may be to maintain.

Personally, I'd not go near silver; it's as drab as they come.

Gray can be bland too unless you pair it with the dark wheels.

Blue appears to be the most popular color with the Model S but, as I hinted above, in my opinion, it lacks a bit of character and is pretty much black in most lighting situations.

I'd never get a Black car again after fighting hard to keep my black '99 VW Passat clean for 5 years.
 
#11
Whew... I thought I was the only whack job that was struggling with this!
I finally gave up and let my wife do it. She chose the Blue with Tan Performance seats. I do wish the blue was a little lighter, but I tend to keep my cars really clean so it should be fine. Most of my past cars have been Gray and Silver, so I guess it's time for a change!
I looked at the MC Red pretty seriously, but decided I didn't want to draw that much more attention to the car!
 
#13
I ordered blue, as I think the car has a far more aggressive look, yet not too flashy. I've had it for 1 week now, and yes, it shows dirt. I frequently wipe it down. I intend to seal it this weekend to prevent swirl marks.

Let me share some experience with you regarding white. I have owned, 1,2,3,4,5, 6... Yes, 6 white vehicles. If cleanliness and appearance is a major concern, then white is NOT a problem. It is the second cleanest appearing car next to greys and silvers. Only when it is REALLY dirty does it show.

Red: damn this car looks awesome in red. Stunning. There are very few of them on the road here in L.A., and L.A. is a flashy town. That being said, for a guy, I think red is way too flashy (as least for me). Almost to the point where I think a guy is compensating for small gonads. My girlfriend and I agreed she would look great in it, but not me. Similarly, I would never be seen it a red shirt, though I guess you would not hesitate to do so. If you go for the red, get black interior, performance if you can afford, as it has red piping.

Dogs: how much do they shed and what color are they? My yellow lab left bright visible yellow hair all over my black interiors.
 
#14
I went through the same agony (search for my similar posts from a couple months ago!), and it seems to be a common problem in this forum! I reserved one color, then started waffling and ended up picking something on the opposite side of the spectrum as what I originally thought I wanted.

In the end, just go with your gut. They all look fantastic and you can't make a mistake.
 
#15
I'm in the same boat. I am trying to narrow it down from blue, red or gray. Gray has always been my top choice but have always liked blue cars too. I have never considered owning a red car and typically could car less about red cars. However, when I saw the MC red in the showroom my mouth dropped! It is a wonderful color. I was able to eliminate the blue once i saw it in person and really wasn't that impressed. So right now I have narrowed it down to red or gray and have been waffling back and forth ever since. At the end of the day i think am going to go with gray because I plan on keeping the car a very long time and I have concerns that I may lose interest in the red over time. What I have been doing lately is paying attention to all the red cars i see on the road and in all honestly I don't look at them and say "Wow" that looks beautiful. I think if a red car is not kept really clean and shiny, it loses alot of its lust. Now if you ask me tomorrow, I will probably have a different opinion. One additional note, the wife has been lobbying pretty hard for red!
 
#16
FWIW, and IMHO:

The kind of biggie decision here is the car itself. And as you know, you’ve made the right one by deciding to get the Model S.

A color on a car is after all just a color on a car. There are a lot much more important things…

But having said that… :rolleyes:

….as I understand it, black in the interior is easier to keep looking mint. And silver on the exterior is the color that will conceal dirt the longest. Those two things could perhaps make life a little more stress free.

Drab, boring choices?

Are they?

Why so?

And even if they were …Who cares?

And also: I know the effect will be really miniscule, but silver will also reflect the most sunlight. Therefore a little cooler if ever parked in the sun on a hot day, and also a little less global warming…
 
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#17
In your case, I would recommend either green or red. The green is very classy but the red is gorgeous. I definitely would have picked the red, had I not been able to get a custom color. Black and blue are too dark for my taste and you can barely tell the difference most of the time. White looks sharp but you already have a white car. Gray and especially silver are too bland in my opinion.
 
#18
Longhorn92 said:
I have black, and it definitely gets dirty fairly quickly. That being said, it still looks awesome when dirty (and stunning when clean).
Click to expand...

That comment is reassuring, thank-you!

gg_got_a_tesla said:
Looks like we are all not making it any easier for you, Tslagrl :)

I'm in a real minority here but, I'd say Go Green! When dirty, it's not as obviously so as the Black or the semi-Black-masquerading-as-Blue. Green is very rare too even in the Model S-soaked SF Bay Area for example.

My car's received innumerable compliments on how elegant and classy a color it is (a la a tasteful Lexus or Aston Martin or Jaguar Green) for a car with these proportions and lines.
Click to expand...

No you're not making it any easier :biggrin: But its nice to know I'm not alone!
I think I will check out more on Green. I think I overlooked that too quickly. Maybe I should forget the colors I thought I'd narrowed it down to and just go for something totally different, like......... green!

4SUPER9 said:
I ordered blue, as I think the car has a far more aggressive look, yet not too flashy. I've had it for 1 week now, and yes, it shows dirt. I frequently wipe it down. I intend to seal it this weekend to prevent swirl marks.

Let me share some experience with you regarding white. I have owned, 1,2,3,4,5, 6... Yes, 6 white vehicles. If cleanliness and appearance is a major concern, then white is NOT a problem. It is the second cleanest appearing car next to greys and silvers. Only when it is REALLY dirty does it show.

Red: damn this car looks awesome in red. Stunning. There are very few of them on the road here in L.A., and L.A. is a flashy town. That being said, for a guy, I think red is way too flashy (as least for me). Almost to the point where I think a guy is compensating for small gonads. My girlfriend and I agreed she would look great in it, but not me. Similarly, I would never be seen it a red shirt, though I guess you would not hesitate to do so. If you go for the red, get black interior, performance if you can afford, as it has red piping.

Dogs: how much do they shed and what color are they? My yellow lab left bright visible yellow hair all over my black interiors.
Click to expand...

That red/black color combo would be great. Same with the grey with grey wheels, looks very sharp but maybe too sporty for me. If I was a little younger I'd go for it :wink:
Dogs are reasonable shedders and vary from black to pale tan. Hair will show whatever color I do, but they may not be traveling in the car all that often, I intend researching covers to minimize the hairs!
 
#20
I think what makes this particularly hard is the fact you can't really put the MS in any particular niche! If I was buying something fun, fast and sporty but totally impractical for day to day use, then of course I'd go for red. But the MS covers so many spectrums for me, that's why its such a great choice. Its a gorgeous, luxurious ride (driving a pick up right now so you bet it feels amazing!), its FUN and fast, its practical for stashing kid and dogs, and bikes and everything else its going to haul. Most of all I am looking forward to times I am alone when I can just jump in the MS to go for a ride to nowhere, its been a while since I had the sort of car that makes you want to do that (and guilt free without burning up the gas!).

I'm thinking there are times I'd really like the car to be red and I might enjoy a bit of extra attention.....but ALL the time?..... maybe not.

Thanks for all your comments so far, really helpful
 
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