ACKK!!! Midnight silver or regular silver???

[David29]

Living in the Northeast, as the OP does, with lots of rain, snow, salt, dirt and so on, I would argue that Midnight Silver will not look as clean as often as Silver. I went to a Service Center to look at cars before I ordered mine. It was a cloudy day, with snow flurries. All the dark colored cars looked the same from even a slight distance -- the grays, blacks, blues, maybe a green if there was one -- all looked about the same shade of dirty gray. The one exception was a new silver car awaiting delivery -- it stood out brilliantly. Normally, I do not like silver. They often look like too many other silver cars. But the Tesla silver really does look especially good, pretty much all of the time, especially with a contrasting dark roof (sunroof or all glass roof) -- at least on the Model S. I do not think I have seen a silver Model 3, but I would guess the difference would be the same as I have described.
Aside -- As it happened, after I decided I liked the silver on that cloudy snowy grayish day, Tesla discontinued the color! So I could not get it when I ordered my car in the summer of 2015. After I took delivery of my Model S, the silver color was reinstated! But I dearly move my multi-color red. Silver is now my second favorite.
So, get midnight silver or any other dark color in the knowledge that it will look crappy when dirty (IMHO) and will look like all the other dark cars under many lighting conditions.
Oh, and by the way, lighter cars are easier to see in dim lighting and at night, so silver may even have a safety advantage.
Either way, enjoy the choice!

 

[RayK]

MSM with Aero is the most delayed.

AHHh! Don't say that! That's my choice.

I changed my order yesterday from MSM Aero to MSM Sport for this exact reason.

Thank you!

 

[dhu1]

Here is what you can do with the MSM sport wheels if you don’t like the black caps.

 

[Asad1087]

Did they end up charging you the change fee?

Initially they wanted to but told them its just the wheels and I am spending more. He checked with a manager and waived it. Told me any other changes would be subject to the fee.

 

[drewbaumann]

Initially they wanted to but told them its just the wheels and I am spending more. He checked with a manager and waived it. Told me any other changes would be subject to the fee.

Nice. Did you get an instant VIN? Did they say anything in regards to delivery? Thinking about doing the same.

 

[Asad1087]

Nice. Did you get an instant VIN? Did they say anything in regards to delivery? Thinking about doing the same.

No instant VIN, it wasn't guaranteed, only thing they said about delivery is that I am risking a delay by changing.

I'm thinking that VIN wasn't assigned since its the weekend, Mon to Tues hopefully but wont know till it happens. Will report back when I get it.

 

[ChrisH]

View attachment 295726 Here is what you can do with the MSM sport wheels if you don’t like the black caps.

Man that looks nice. What did you do to the wheels to change it up?

 

[Mod Y Guy]

He took off the black plastic lug nut cover and then bought silver center caps and chrome lug nuts. It does look damn good.

 

[SoCalGuy]

And now I see this pic... that white car...

I wonder if those are the 19s or the new 20s they're selling in Tesla's online shop

 

[dhu1]

View attachment 295867

And now I see this pic... that white car...

I wonder if those are the 19s or the new 20s they're selling in Tesla's online shop

Looks like the 20’s. Or it could be lowered so tire looks bigger

 

[suwaneedad]

So I've eliminated white and now I'm down to just this very difficult choice: regular silver or midnight silver (aka metallic grey). I'll be going with either the silver 19" wheels or the aftermarket silver turbine 20s from EV Direct

Silver
+ Really shows the cars lines
+ Seems clean even when it's dirty
+ Minimizes the chrome
- Kind of boring/common?
- I already have a silver car

Midnight silver
+ Looks classy/elegant
+ Makes silver wheels "pop"
- A little darker than I'd like
- Changes color - sometimes looks purplish
- Car's lines less noticeable


Anyone else make this choice? Would love your thoughts / rationale for picking one over the other (including your own decision). Thanks!

This were also my final two color options. I opted for silver and love it.
BUT, I also do not like the 19 wheels, so already knew I was going for uncovered Aeros (which are dark).
I love contrast, so dark uncovered Aeros and midnight silver didn't do much for me.
I have really enjoyed the silver with the uncovered aeros, and you're right that it stays clean-looking even after rains.
I initially thought I would get red Tesla logos since the chrome OEM versions get lost on the silver paint. But I prefer subtlety on such things (I don't need to advertise to people that I'm in a Tesla), so have found that the nearly invisible chrome logo on the silver paint is something that I like a lot.
I did not like the 'changing color' nature of the midnight silver that you note in your OP.
I do find that the dark glass roof adds another element of contrast with the silver paint, and I therefore like that too. The car from top to bottom basically goes dark (glass), light (silver paint plus subtle chrome), dark (uncovered Aeros).

Good luck.

 

[KenF]

I am torn between midnight silver, silver, and white.

To me, midnight silver looks the most classy/elegant, silver is a bit plain/boring, and white reminds me of a rental car. However, all 4 Tesla maintenance staff I’ve spoken to said that silver and white are by far the easiest to maintain and require the least amount of touchup work. They said that silver is the best at hiding day to day dirt buildup, followed by white, while white is the best at hiding major and minor scratches, followed closely by silver.

One maintenance guy showed me several red and blue M3s (1-2 months old) and pointed out obvious swirling and other minor scratches in the paint. He challenged me to find swirls and scratches on two silver and white M3s, and, even after he pointed to scratches he knew were present, I could only see them up close at just the right angle. He showed me a major scratch on a midnight silver that was obvious from 5 feet away, and a similar scratch on a white that I could only see from about 6 inches away.

 

[nvx1977]

White has its own challenges, particularly rust spots (tiny flecks of metal embedded in clear coat from regular driving), and front fascia bug magnet. And white looks like cream/off white if you don't wash often.

Silver is the best all-around in terms of hiding blemishes. I've always been a fan of silver.

I went with Midnight Silver Metallic this time around because I've been driving silver cars for over a decade and wanted to change it up. So far, very happy with MSM, and I accept that scratches will be more visible. I also have a black Model S, and that thing shows scratches way more than MSM.

See also The many colors of Midnight Silver

 

[bradhs]

I own a P85D Midnight Silver and just ordered a Model 3 with it. Great color if you like metallic.

 

[Steve F]

I think all the colors look good, especially on the configurator and in photos.
In person the midnight blew me away, a lot of richness and depth.
Silver can be a great color but sometimes looks a bit washed out.
My entire family pushed red but it's a little too flashy for me, I like restrained and not afraid to be a little boring.
I have a bias towards medium grey metallic finishes.
Before deciding Tesla, I was considering a Daytona grey S4 or Selenite grey MB coupe.
Test drove a Model 3 and there was no turning back!
Still a little torn between the 18 and 19s.
I like the looks of the 19s on midnight but order 18s for the extra efficiency, flexibility of popping off the caps, and I can always buy some sexy aftermarket rims if I really feel the need.

 

[groovidad]

I have 3 coats of ceramic on my MSM. It stays cleaner longer, easier to wash and looks very glossy almost everyday.

 

[Triplett]

So I've eliminated white and now I'm down to just this very difficult choice: regular silver or midnight silver (aka metallic grey). I'll be going with either the silver 19" wheels or the aftermarket silver turbine 20s from EV Direct

Silver
+ Really shows the cars lines
+ Seems clean even when it's dirty
+ Minimizes the chrome
- Kind of boring/common?
- I already have a silver car

Midnight silver
+ Looks classy/elegant
+ Makes silver wheels "pop"
- A little darker than I'd like
- Changes color - sometimes looks purplish
- Car's lines less noticeable


Anyone else make this choice? Would love your thoughts / rationale for picking one over the other (including your own decision). Thanks!

I know this thread is a year old but I couldn't help myself.

If the choice is between midnight silver and silver, the answer is "false."

 

[ChrisH]

I know this thread is a year old but I couldn't help myself.

If the choice is between midnight silver and silver, the answer is "false."

Pffft MSM all the way, though every time I pass a white one on the roads it makes me question my choice (it was between MSM and white and the wife said she didn’t want two white vehicles lol)

 

[Triplett]

Still hideous, but that's just my opinion.

 

[ChrisH]

Still hideous, but that's just my opinion.

Hideous? Really? Do you think red is the only good looking color or what?