color impact on resale

[JACK M]

21 hours ago, CHuDWah said:

 

 

Well, I only said flat black is OK on rat rods - I didn't say rat rods are OK.  😉

 

Its a diverse hobby. These auto enthusiasts.

Just about any car that a guy is proud of is OK by me. Whether I like it or not.

Edited April 25, 2020 by JACK M (see edit history)

[CHuDWah]

1 hour ago, JACK M said:

 

Its a diverse hobby. These auto enthusiasts.

Just about any car that a guy is proud of is OK by me. Whether I like it or not.

 

 

I'm no purist but I dislike most (not all) rat rods - that's what I meant by not OK.  That's just my taste/opinion but I have a right to it and I'm not going to conceal it.  That said, one's car is his/hers and they also have a right to do with it as they please.  I may grit my teeth when they do it and I may express a negative opinion when they're done but that doesn't mean they can't do it.  The only qualification is that the end result be built to be safe.

[padgett]

I like the clowns.

[John_Mereness]

This was the first Auburn - this picture was taken in early 1980's, when in the hands of the next owner.  In the late 1970's, it was this tu-tone Olive Green and had burnt Orange wheel rims on it - and unfortunately photos probably are in slide form and buried in boxes from moves.  

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by John_Mereness (see edit history)

[CHuDWah]

23 hours ago, JACK M said:

I don't think Rats should get paint.

The Flat John Deere chassis paint is definitely an economic thing. Sixty bucks plus labor.

Done both.

 

I won the pin stripe job at a car show, People still ask what color is it going to be.

Some people just don't get it.

 

The guy that donated the pin stripes said it took about three times as much paint as usual. He had never done a rust finish before.

 

 

 

 

Yes, paint can expensive although some do an inexpensive brush (usually roller) job.  It's labor intensive but the results can be pretty good - maybe not show quality but at least presentable for a driver.

 

Anyway, if a rat rod should have a paint-less, rusty finish, why pinstripe it?  Maybe I "just don't get it" but that seems to be a contradiction - or maybe that's what a rat is supposed to be.

[CHuDWah]

50 minutes ago, padgett said:

I like the clowns.

 

 

I like this one:

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

It would be interesting to read some more

color insights on this thread.  Did anyone try

to sell a car and find resistance because of the 

paint or the interior?

[padgett]

Always thought the idea of a rat rod was to put the $10k for a nice paint job into the GO rather than the SHOW e.g No go showboat.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

It would be interesting to read some more

color insights on this thread.  Did anyone try

to sell a car and find resistance because of the 

paint or the interior?

 

No John, but surprisingly I had just the opposite happen.

A few years ago I did a bumper to bumper restoration on 400, 4 speed 1968 Firebird in the factory Verdoro Green/ black interior,  black vinyl roof. Very popular color when new but really fell out of favor 10 years later. Anyway the car turns out great, everything old is new again, and I get many compliments on the color. One day a fellow approaches me and offers to buy the car because "it's just like the one I had in high school". Nice fellow, but the car was just not for sale at that time. He comes back to town a year later, looks me up and asks to see the car again. I oblige him (and his brother) he says he has to have the car. His friends had told him to buy one and paint it green, but he says No, it has to be an original Verdoro Green car. Makes me a very generous offer and becomes the new owner.

Yes, for a green car. Crazy huh?

 

[JACK M]

2 hours ago, CHuDWah said:

 

 

Yes, paint can expensive although some do an inexpensive brush (usually roller) job.  It's labor intensive but the results can be pretty good - maybe not show quality but at least presentable for a driver.

 

Anyway, if a rat rod should have a paint-less, rusty finish, why pinstripe it?  Maybe I "just don't get it" but that seems to be a contradiction - or maybe that's what a rat is supposed to be.

 

As stated, I won the pinstripes as a door prize at a car show.

The 'don't get it' part has to do with the public always asking what color is it going to be.

[pkhammer]

The photo of the Firebird posted above by GregLar looks awesome through my eyes; classy, understated, and perfectly fitting to the car/era. If that car were red, yellow or orange I would hate it. I personally never understood the saying "resale red" but I'm a little weird I guess. Paint color is subjective and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. While that car may appeal to a much larger crowd if it were red, I wouldn't be one of them. In the 70's and 80's I owned a green '70 Plymouth Duster, a green '68 GTO and a green '68 Olds 442. I didn't care for the matching green interiors of the Duster and the 442 but otherwise loved the exterior color. The RIGHT shade of green (or blue) appeals to me more than any other color on most collector cars and at the same time, it doesn't get much worse than the WRONG shade of green or blue.

[Ed Luddy]

I also like orange. Had one of these in this color combo

[John_S_in_Penna]

1 hour ago, GregLaR said:

... he says he has to have the car.... has to be an original Verdoro Green car.

 

I used to disfavor the ubiquitous colors of the 1970's,

especially the avocado greens.  Dark brown, orange,

mustard yellow, and avocado greens were in house interiors,

appliances, as much as on cars.  Now the avocado greens

are beginning to grow on me.  Your Firebird looks good, Greg. 

 

Here's a 1974 Eldorado in bright orange metallic which I

inquired about a few years ago.  It was a mid-year color,

and it's still a bit too bright for me.  It also had rust, but it

certainly would be interesting to see at a show:

 

 

[Ed Luddy]

Recent Challenger I had in Hemi Orange

[Ed Luddy]

 2006 Daytona in GoManGo. Longest I ever kept a car. From Oct. 2005 til 2016

[John_S_in_Penna]

Here's a 1974 Cadillac with a color combination the

direct opposite of the orange-and-white Eldorado I posted:

White paint and a bright orange roof and interior.  Truly strange!

But it's currently for sale for the brave owner who wants a

curious crowd at shows:

 

https://inventory.berlinmotorslogistics.com/vehicles/4912/1974-cadillac-coupe-deville

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[Ed Luddy]

1970 Plymouth Duster 340 in  Plum Crazy Purple. Had  one back in 1975.

 

[padgett]

Longest I've had a car (white, red interior, black accents) is 36 years. So far.

[CHuDWah]

1 hour ago, JACK M said:

 

As stated, I won the pinstripes as a door prize at a car show.

The 'don't get it' part has to do with the public always asking what color is it going to be.

 

 

Yeah, I got that.  But yours isn't the only pinstriped rat, so the question remains. 

[CHuDWah]

3 hours ago, padgett said:

Always thought the idea of a rat rod was to put the $10k for a nice paint job into the GO rather than the SHOW e.g No go showboat.

 

That's one reason - there are others.

 

 

55 minutes ago, padgett said:

Longest I've had a car (white, red interior, black accents) is 36 years. So far.

 

Longest we've had was 40 years - two-tone green with black fenders and brown interior (all correct colors) but it may not count as it wasn't those colors when we started. 

[Ed Luddy]

I do admire people that can keep a car for a long time. I just get restless and love the chase. 

 

My very first car was half mine as my buddy and I split on it. It was a 1957 Meteor Rideau 500. Factory Tri-Tone Red,white side cove, black roof and fendertop/trunk scheme. Blue with silver threading pattern seats made it real multi color machine. But at the time 1970, it sure wasn't outrageous, just an old 50's car.I don't have any photo's of my old stuff as it got turfed in the 80's. Here's a stock photo of the scheme, different colors.

 

[padgett]

Have had several cars for decades, just tend to keep if liked (and almost anything I buy is going to be interesting.), Reatta will hit two decades next year & got me through some really bad times. Others are newer & mutable but have an empty slot at the moment....

[Billy Kingsley]

There's one of those orange Cadillacs that is a regular at our local cruises. I think it's owned by a member of the club that runs the cruise actually.

 

My brother's 2005 Cobalt, visible in the third photo here, is the longest we've kept a car running. He got it December 26th, 2005, and it's been his daily driver ever since. Has roamed from Maine to Indiana and back.

Edited April 26, 2020 by Billy Kingsley (see edit history)

[Guest]

3 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

 

I used to disfavor the ubiquitous colors of the 1970's,

 

 

 

Same here John.

Funny, in the 70's I hated that Verdoro Green, now all these years later, I've OD'd on Red/Blue/Black so I really like the more off beat colors.

Ed's Plum Crazy Purple has always been one of my favorites. It's still on my "gotta get one" list. 😄

[Larry Schramm]

12 hours ago, Ed Luddy said:

I do admire people that can keep a car for a long time. I just get restless and love the chase.

 

My wife and I still have the '76 Corvette that we bought as a wedding present to ourselves 42 years ago. 🙂

 

And for color, it is silver, #13.

Edited April 26, 2020 by Larry Schramm (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

Here's a 1969 Cadillac Eldorado I bought a few years ago.

Liking the offbeat and knowing that Cadillac offered two

different purple paints in 1969, I went out of my way to

search for one in this color.  I showed it at Hershey in 2019.

 

I wonder what people thought of this color in 1969.

Was it considered tasteless, or for the flamboyant types?

It must have been a brief and minor fad, because Lincoln

offered a similar shade, and in 1970 a Buick Riviera could

have been painted in a medium purple.

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[Matt Harwood]

Melanie and I were having this conversation just this morning. She saw this car...

 

...and thought it was ugly. Well, maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But I love it. If you're going to have a car of that vintage, why not have the most outrageous color combination possible? It's distinctive, rare, and period-correct. I love it because it's right for the car and the period. Red or black or blue? Bo-ring.

 

This cool GTO was virtually sales-proof, but I thought it was awesome. Rare Iris Mist with Parchment interior. Gorgeous and correct. Most guys couldn't find the backbone to own it and  most said they wanted an ordinary black or red one. Too bad. The guy who bought this car got the only one that will ever show up anywhere and I don't think anyone is questioning his manhood.

 

Same with Melanie's pink '56 Chrysler. We got it cheap because it sat on the market for two years. Nobody had any vision and I still hear guys say they're afraid of what their buddies will say if they see them driving a pink car. Man up, Nancy. Pastel '50s cars are exactly right, regular colors are blah.

 

Again, it all boils down to is it correct? The designers of the period knew what they were doing and you should trust their judgement. Painting your 1936 Packard the same color as your new Mercedes because everyone tells you how pretty it is, well, that's always a mistake.

[JimKB1MCV]

Sometimes the outlandish colors just kind of grow on you.😄

 

[Lebowski]

You'll never have a problem selling a fully restored red car with a black vinyl top. That's always been my favorite color combination. That's one of the main reasons why I bought this one.... 

 

 

[Matt Harwood]

2 minutes ago, JimKB1MCV said:

Sometimes the outlandish colors just kind of grow on you.😄

 

 

Yep.

 

[Billy Kingsley]

Apparently this was a factory color scheme from Studebaker:

 

According to the owner, these were special showcase models that were quite limited...he gave us the production numbers but I can't recall. This car won the Town of Newburgh Model Car Club award at the 2019 Poughkeepsie Galleria car show.

[Erska]

Turquoise, anyone?  Here's my 1971 Volvo 1800E, in a color offered only one year of a ten year production run.  This was not my first color choice when I was looking for an 1800 abut 15 years ago, but this car had all the other qualities I was looking for, so I bought it.  I've never seen another one this color, and it gets lots of positive comments at shows.

[Kevin M]

One thing with all this talk of colors and color combos is that I’d rather have all these crazy and weird things available compared to now where there’s five exterior colors and two interior colors available for almost all new cars. Gm seems think that the transition from white to black with maybe red and blue is enough. And god forbid you want anything other than black or tan and black interiors. 

[frededwarrds]

Kevin, you are spot on. I’m not up to speed fully with car marketing but with so few car makers now who make such large volumes of cars on production lines we as customers offered generally very bland greys, beige, browns and whites. At dawn and dusk are barely visible without lights. Many of these colours have complex pearls and other pigments which don’t really do much other than make for very expensive paint repair as you have to paint the whole car to match. Which makes for higher insurance premiums.Clever those car makers!!  Am I being too cynical?  Which is why I buy plain white cars. Never really in or out of fashion. If the car has good style it can wear most colours. Fred. 

[Ron Green]

8 hours ago, JimKB1MCV said:

Sometimes the outlandish colors just kind of grow on you.😄

 

 

 

Yep. Took me a few years for my 55 colors to grow on me especially the green. Looking over the 39 two-tone and 14 solid colors offered that year one has to wonder what they (and other brands) were thinking on some of them. Some I have never seen on a car. Pontiac was still adding colors a few months prior to the end of the 55 production year according to their monthly Craftsman Newsletters.  

[Buick35]

My son is a James Bond fan and likes his dark grey or gun metal Aston Martin so he had a 67 Mustang painted that color.He now ha a black 66 coupe with tan stripes which looks good.Greg

[8E45E]

11 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Here's a 1969 Cadillac Eldorado I bought a few years ago.

Liking the offbeat and knowing that Cadillac offered two

different purple paints in 1969, I went out of my way to

search for one in this color.  I showed it at Hershey in 2019.

 

I wonder what people thought of this color in 1969.

Was it considered tasteless, or for the flamboyant types?

It must have been a brief and minor fad, because Lincoln

offered a similar shade, and in 1970 a Buick Riviera could

have been painted in a medium purple.

 

Don't forget, Chrysler offered Ultra Violet/Plum Crazy starting in 1970 as part of their optional 'Hi-Impact' colors.  And a lot of B and E-body cars were painted those colors.

 

Craig

[Ed Luddy]

11 hours ago, John_S_in_Penna said:

Here's a 1969 Cadillac Eldorado I bought a few years ago.

Liking the offbeat and knowing that Cadillac offered two

different purple paints in 1969, I went out of my way to

search for one in this color.  I showed it at Hershey in 2019.

 

I wonder what people thought of this color in 1969.

Was it considered tasteless, or for the flamboyant types?

It must have been a brief and minor fad, because Lincoln

offered a similar shade, and in 1970 a Buick Riviera could

have been painted in a medium purple.

 

Looks like the "Evening Orchid" offered on 1965 Chevrolets. I like it!

 

[alsancle]

39 minutes ago, Ron Green said:

 

Yep. Took me a few years for my 55 colors to grow on me especially the green. Looking over the 39 two-tone and 14 solid colors offered that year one has to wonder what they (and other brands) were thinking on some of them. Some I have never seen on a car. Pontiac was still adding colors a few months prior to the end of the 55 production year according to their monthly Craftsman Newsletters. 

 

Those colors look good and appropriate on that car.

[alsancle]

Plum crazy on a 1970-73 Mopar  will bring a premium and make almost all other cars sales proof.