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I've spent considerable effort over the past several months trying to decide on which color to order. Aside from making a choice based strictly on personal aesthetics or for some, as a personal 'statement,' I've learned a number of things:
1. The environment/locale the car lives in makes a significant impact on your color choice. Do you live in a concrete and glass city, or in a rustic rural community? To give you an idea, my wife and I saw an oxford green car in Hawaii several months ago and IT LOOKED GREAT against the green scenic tropical backdrop. In LA—definitely not!
2. Color and dirt. Also think about the hazards of parking. As with dust and dirt, door dings and chips show up much more on darker color cars. Hair-typed scratches, too, which often result from car washes (yes, even hand washing). The slightest particles of dirt DO leave tiny scratches that build up in vast numbers over time. If you need convincing, take a walk through the pre-owned section of a dealership and see how various colors hold up on cars even as little as two-years old. You will be surprised. Some of you may also think of getting a car cover and using it in public places to help with the dings. I will.
3. Today I was at a local dealership checking out a new arrival. I couldn't understand why the color/finish of the Z8 on the floor looked so much better than the same color on the M5. Well, upon closer examination, it turns out that the Z8 actually has a more refined (and more expensive) hand-worked finish most of us are familiar with on more exotic cars. The M5 has that standard factory "wavey" look and feel…it's too bad. For that amount of money and given the level of car BMW engineers were able to design and develop, one would think that the company would have gone the extra mile on the finish.
4. Interior options: know that if you order a solid interior color other than black, various inserts including the dash will be in black. This is not like the 3 series cars whose interiors are of one like color. Some may enjoy the two-toned look, but I think having solid interior colors would have been a better (and, yes, more expensive) choice. The 'combination' interiors like the Lemans Blue or Silverstone certainly add a dimension of sportiness (with the Aluminum Trim), but it may become something one tires of after a while.
Yes, there are always trade offs. It is extremely hard to find that perfect color (although Ferrari did a great job with the Modena). I had hoped, however, that along with any slight mechanical modifications that would be made on the 2001 models, that there were be a newer palette of colors to choose from. It will probably happen next year, along with the elimination of the in-dash cassette player and addition of XM radio and optional plasma TV screen for broadcast and Internet connection.
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