New Car!

[xoxoxoBruce]

White is #1 because of fleet sales.

[monster]

Originally Posted by classicman

My post was an insult, yours was a joke. Perhaps the difference is beyond you.

huh?

[ZenGum]

There is some thought that a bright colour will reduce the resale value - what if nobody wants a lime green mazda? I'll ust get the silver/grey one.

I have ranted elsewhere about how hard it is to see grey or silver cars, especially in poor lighting. I like white for the reflectance, but bright red, yellow, or green would also pass. One at a time, though.

[infinite monkey]

That's why I drive cars until they die, no worries over resale value. I think my nieces would like to inherit my bug, though. Its a girl car for sure. Just today at the McD drive thru the young lady at the window said 'omg I love your car its so cute!' I know, it's my driveable mid life crisis.

[monster]

Apparently I drive cars until I kill them....

[zippyt]

Again ???

[monster]

Only $113 for the windstar this time....... it's not dead yet.....

[it]

Originally Posted by Beest

Yeah, this was a third criteria after manual and hatchback, a bright color, limited choice even further.

The color choices for all the vehicles I looked at include at least 5 shades of white, black grey or silver (also grey), and maybe two colors, which might be dark red instead of bright red. I guess that's what people must buy

here's a possible explenation:

After clinging to practical, wearable clothing colors such as black and navy during the recent economic downturn, merchants and consumers alike are stocking up on colors that are anything but understated. The trend is a clear signal that the economy is improving, say professional color forecasters and fashion experts. The Color Association of the U.S., a New York-based forecasting firm that has been studying color trends since 1915, found in a recent study, that apparel colors turn more sober when large numbers of Americans are out of work and more vibrant when shoppers feel wealthier.

- the color of money

likewise, you can actually make economical forcasts based on the common colors of ties.

there's no reason that sociological pressures on the colors we are drawn to would apply strictly to what we wear - a car is also something your presenting to the world.

ofcourse its get circular after that - when most people buy a product in certain set of colors, dealers stock on those colors, factories produce more products in those colors, and then its harder to find those products in other colors.

[Beest]

Originally Posted by traceur

- when most people buy a product in certain set of colors, dealers stock on those colors, factories produce more products in those colors, and then its harder to find those products in other colors.

My impression was that the dealers got what the manufacturers gave them, they weren't free to order just what they wanted.

I guess the companies have marketing departments and color forecasters who try and guess the trends.

[Clodfobble]

My understanding is that the job title is called a "Buyer," and this person goes to the fashion tradeshows (not catwalk shows, but real tradeshows) to decide what the store is going to buy that season from which designers. The designers overall have a certain flow towards what styles are going to be trendy that season, and then the Buyers indirectly accept or reject that flow to the degree that they like. I imagine a really big Buyer, like for Macy's or something, has the clout to tell a designer "we like this shape, but make it in this color instead," but most have to choose from what colors the designers are offering that season.

I've also been told that the major buys are done quarterly with the seasons--if a store puts out new styles of merchandise halfway through a season, it's because they were holding it back or it was delayed for some other reason, they ordered it from the designer months ago.

[Spexxvet]

I heard long ago that brightly colored cars get in accidents more often, and have a higher insurance rate.

[jimhelm]

The Imports are a little different than domestics. The cars built in Japan in particular. They build combinations that their statistics tell them sell well... and send them. the distributors then mete them out to dealers based on an allocation system... usually earned by sales volume. as traceur says, this does get circular, because you can only sell what you have...and that reinforces what they already thought was wanted. if it's wrong... it's hard to get that info up the ladder.

There is a lot more trading of vehicles between dealers for color and specific equipment combinations. That ads cost and delay to deals. Every once in a great while, we will factory order...and you can expect to wait 3 months for that.

When I worked at Jeep, I could have your car in 3 weeks with your name printed on the Window Sticker.

The Monronie Label (Window sticker) would have this printed:
This Vehicle Built Specially For:

and then your name. Cars ordered for customers would get first priority, so we would put in bogus orders. Tony Dungee, George Costanza, etc.

Had I seen that episode of Seinfeld, I'd have ordered a brown Sebring for John Voigt

[glatt]

We got our car factory ordered, and they didn't put our name in the window. Bastages. We had to wait a couple months too for them to make it in California at the Toyota/Geo factory. It was the only way to get exactly what we wanted.

[jimhelm]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

White is #1 because of fleet sales.

and because being White is CLEARLY better.



who could even argue?

[infinite monkey]

John Voight's car. Omg too funny!