I'm kind of saying this just to mess with you, but....
Just beacuse you can, doesn't mean you have to.

 

LMAO @ the primer statement, I almost fully agree w/ you on that...

But about the public not caring about what color a car is? Totally wrong. I've been to a car dealer with other people more than a hundred times, and on these occasions I've had my friends/family buy a car, maybe 5 or 6 times. The reason why the person I was with those other times didnt buy a car is because they really weren't looking for a car, or that dealership didn't have the car they were looking in a certain color that they liked. And those 5 or 6 times that somebody did buy a car, I can remember at least 2 of those people buying a car solely because they liked the color on the car. (one being Sunset Orange Metallic, that SOB stole my car ) Of course those people test drove the cars, seeing if they really wanted it, but the reason they wanted the car in the first place was because of the color.

 

Thats like saying, I really like mellenuim yellow so I better save up for 2000 vette. you I really like that maroon color so I better save for an Aniv. vette. I personally love yellow and orange color on cars beacuse they are so differant and nobody else has them, (becuase they all have silver) but that doesnt mean that when the 5th gen comes out and doesnt have yellow or orange that I'm going to buy a mustang. I'll just get in a differnat color. I'm shopping for a car, not a box of crayons.

 

True, but what if a striking color is what made you fall in love with the car?

I love the C5, but until Electron Blue came out, I really never had a color that I totally fell in love with on it.

I see your point... but what is wrong with a little more choice when buying a new car? You drop a lot of cash on a car... you should have more choices, IMO.

 

Ya, you should have more choices (than the 2 for the cts-v) but that is what makes that blue corvette so special (same with the yallow or maroon) It makes those vettes stand out as having that paint scheme. How would you like to pull up in your blue vette next to a chevy metro with the same blue. I bet you sould loose a little respect for that blue.

Any wasy back to the subject, how much more would it cost to do more colors on a car?? If it not that much money, than money isnt the issue. If it is the the cost is the issue and there you go.

 

Oh, I toally agree...

I know GM buys the paint in bulk, so spreading the same colors out over more models is practical and more cost effective....

I am not saying every color GM makes should be available on every car it makes... I am saying more along the lines of adding some new colors to their catalog, and spreading them out over their selection of vehicles.

IMO, 12-14 colors on a single model should not be that crazy to think of as possible.

Add to that the whole thing of Z06 not getting Corvette's full pallet, which is already shallow... same with CTS-V.

 

I cant speak for all the chevy cars (i cant remeber all of them), but when I was at the auto show they had the board will the cars and what colors they have. From what I remeber each car had 4-8 colors if not more. So I think for the most part there are enough colors to make people happy. There may be afew cars that need more colors like the CTS-V, or the impala. Sure the impala has 9 colors, but 3 of them ar "tan". I would love to see 20 differant colors per car. But it comes down to "you cant make everybody happy" with the color choice. If you have yellow, than you have to have purple, than green, the dark mettalic orange with a hint of yellow when the sun hits it right. So instead of picking some colors that will make a few people happy, they stick with the "SAFE" colors, red, black, silver, tan, and white.

The question still, how much more does it cost to add more colors. My quess it probabally doent cost a bunch more. But it comes down to GM wanting to add the color to the car. So I dont think it is the cost of the color, but the logic of GM.

 

Great post! The more choices, the better IMO. I know, at least in my family, color is very important. This is especially so for the women. Would a lack of colors turn me off from a specific car? No, but it would definitely turn my sister off. To non car people like her, I think color is a larger factor. I agree with Darth, we need more choices. I look at new vehicle brochures quite often and have noticed that there is not only a lack of choices, but also that the colors themselves are relatively closely related. If you're going to have a small number of color choices in the first place, at least make them significantly different from one another. It seems like every brochure has about 3 shades of silver now


-Mike

 

I think we all agree there should be more colors, But the question is why insnt there more, Is it because of the cost to at add another color to a car, or is there another reason.

 

You have to understand that many of the components - door latches, bumpers, ground effects, trim panels, mirrors, etc. are painted by vendors and shipped into the vehicle assembly plant. The only painting that usually occurs there is the body.

So, more colors = more inventory = more money = less floorspace for other things (like options).

Now, all of those suppliers have to make sure their parts match - not an easy task since they are usually made out of different materials and in different places.

Don't get me started on all the steps they go through to pick a color and coordinate everything between the assembly plants and suppliers...

So needless to say, it is a complex and expensive process. But I still think they could find a way to support affordable "special order" colors.

 

I have heard that You can buy a Silverado in any color you want as long as you buy at least 7 trucks (that # could be different).

We have all seen yellow Silverados that Highway Depts. and Airports use, and the Yellow Suburban school busses.

My point is if they make extra colors for Fleet buyers, why couldn't they make a run of 200 "insert color here" Cars. Just paint all 200 or what ever # in a row, it's a one time deal, it wouldn't be any harder than switching between other 2 colors right.

 

There was a lot of talk of exactly that back around 1992-4 or so when Bowling Green got it's painting facility upgraded.

The talk was that painted tiles or some sort of sample would be sent to the customer for final approval after the selection process and then the job would be executed, and the car built...

This obviously never came to be...

Unfortunately, I havent heard any fresh rumors this time around as the BG facility is getting another paint facility refit thanks to Cadillac. Cadillac was not satisfied with the quality of BG's painting facility for XLR, so they are reportedly footing the bill for a multi-million dollar paint booth re-do.

 

More colors = more variety = more cars sold = return on any initial investment into providing more colors.

Sorry but strictly from a consumer's point of view, it's like this: SCREW all the excuses! Anyone ever look at ANY brochure from the 60s and 70s? There's always 10 to 25 color choices. Not to mention fabrics/material choices for the interior, but I'll give you that; forget about material choices, at least provide the color choices we used to have. If they could do it then, I don't want any excuses as to why they can't do it now.

We want more colors. There is a silent majority out there that would buy something unusual if you gave them the opportunity. I want something that's not gonna get lost in the parking lot, you know? People vote with their money. Color choices are THE deciding factor for more people than you'd think. I see nothing wrong with a pale metallic lime green CTS or a white Impala SS (90s era); cars that clearly were never made, but would've sold.

One example off the top of my head: the 1992 Firebird: Pontiac went to the trouble of making just TWENTY-THREE Firebirds in Jamaica Yellow. If they could take chances like that as recently as a decade ago, they should be doing it now too, as demand warrants. No excuses, period.

gt

 

To add to what kizz is saying, I can give you oodles of documentation and sales sheets on Mustangs that CLEARLY show that the older cars in rare colors bring a hefty premium over an exact duplicate car in a common color. The '70 Mach 1 in Grabber Blue , Grabber Orange , or Grabber Green will bring an easy $3 to $5k more than a '70 Mach 1 in Wimbledon White or Medium Blue. There were 16 exterior colors available in '70, 17 in '69, 21 in '68, and 25 colors available on the '66 Mustang, and 28 colors on the '67!!! (Go here and look 1/2 down page on right side.)

So offering special colors on the cars could not only help clinch "impulse buys" on the lot, but help collectors and resale values down the road to boot. I say do it.