Disappointed with factory colors

[nickt]

Is anyone else disappointed with the choices of factory colors?

I don't want white/black/grey/silver. Too many other cars on the road in these colors today. The blue is so dark it looks black, and the green is too drab. The brown is pretty nice but it doesn't grab me. The burgundy was ok, but I'm not excited by the new red.

I had heard Tesla was going to let you buy factory custom paint, but now that my invitation to finalize has come up, I'm being told I cannot. I'd need to buy white and bring it to an aftermarket paint shop.

Is it just me? I love the car, but the exterior colors are nowhere near as awesome as this car deserves.

Suggestions / thoughts welcome. What do you think?

 

[Al Sherman]

I agree on the blue. I've never owned a car that wasn't blue so I'm getting it. But, it's too dark. My wife says it looks classier than my usual royal type blue. So maybe it'll grow on me. I'm not a red guy, but I do think the new red is really nice.

 

[Ceilidh]

You should note that all of these colors look quite different in person, as compared to the online configurator.

While more choices would be better in pretty much any scenario, the colors all look great in the flesh.

I also disagree on the blue and green. The green looks great in person, and that blue looks fantastic. The best looking blue car tone I have ever seen and the first I ever seriously considered.

Of course, just MHO.

Cheers

 

[kevincwelch]

I personally love all the colors, but I think the Brown and Green are my least favorites. The Pearl White is really beautiful in person, but since I love the blue the most, that's probably what I'd get.

Wish I could see the red in person though.

Sent via Tapatalk.

 

[jerry33]

Black, blue, and probably green (which I haven't seen) look great in a showroom but not so good in real-life (and the chrome just looks awful against the dark colours). The brown did nothing for me. White is white, you can't really make that look bad. Silver looks pretty good. Haven't seen perl white, grey, or red. The problem is there are three shades of black, two whites, and no light colours other than silver. I would have loved some other colour than silver but there isn't really much choice. A blue or green that was as light as the silver would have been my preference.

 

[nickt]

I currently drive a Porsche 911 in Rainforest Green. Gorgeous gorgeous color (example: http://porschebahn.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/100_5523.jpg). I also love Porsche's Ocean Blue (example: Recent image by rickrack on Photobucket).

I was at the Menlo Park store last weekend and saw blue and green in person. The blue was way too dark, and the green was too drab. They don't do this car justice.

This might be a showstopper for me. I don't want to spend $10k in aftermarket to get a color I like with no warranty, etc. Hopefully Tesla will come through with some solution. Thus far, they're just saying that the other colors are really nice.

 

[Owner]

I agree with you. But Tesla is consistent with all the other car manufacturers out there. Look on the road. Outside of a few more "interesting" cars, there is a huge predominance of white, black, grey, silver, beige and red. A few very light colors and a few very dark colors. And then some reds thrown in.

I have decided <but not pushed the final config button> on grey. Grey, the new red, and brown are the only medium colors.

What I like the best about the grey is how it looks with the chrome accents and black interior. I think I am getting a black interior because of this, although I have not decided that yet. I think the chrome goes better with the cool colors, and not less so with the dark and warm colors.

I think this is what the majority of buyers want, although probably not you or I.

 

[MikeK]

I was also a bit disappointed in the color choices. I ended up choosing white, which I'm happy with, although it does show any minor panel alignment issues very prominently. Fortunately my car is well aligned so it looks good.

I will say that the grey looks very classy in person, especially with the silver wheels.

All of Tesla's metallic colors are chameleons -- they look rather different in shade than they do in the sun. This includes the grey, which really lights up in the sun. The silver looks brilliant in sun, but a bit flat in shade, in my opinion. I think the thing is that they have used a very fine metallic flake in the paint, so you don't see a lot of sparkle. With many automotive paints, you can still see some sparkle in the shade, but I think you need larger flakes to make that happen.

 

[Krugerrand]

IMO, all the colors look great and I have seen them all close up. But like anything else in this world, not everyone will be made happy no matter if they chose to also offer different colors or different shades of the current colors. One always has the choice to go have their care repainted if they're that offended by the factory color/s.

 

[jerry33]

IMO, all the colors look great and I have seen them all close up. But like anything else in this world, not everyone will be made happy no matter if they chose to also offer different colors or different shades of the current colors. One always has the choice to go have their care repainted if they're that offended by the factory color/s.

My experience is that repainting a car is always highly unsatisfactory unless you strip it down to the bare body and give it what amounts to a "factory" paint job. This usually costs way more than the car did originally.

 

[Mike_Schlechter]

I have a green car, and I get frequent compliments on it. It is radiant emerald in direct sun, deep forrest green in shadow and basically back at night, when colors tend of fade regardless... But it is personal preference.

 

[UMD86]

Is anyone else disappointed with the choices of factory colors?

I don't want white/black/grey/silver. Too many other cars on the road in these colors today. The blue is so dark it looks black, and the green is too drab. The brown is pretty nice but it doesn't grab me. The burgundy was ok, but I'm not excited by the new red.

I had heard Tesla was going to let you buy factory custom paint, but now that my invitation to finalize has come up, I'm being told I cannot. I'd need to buy white and bring it to an aftermarket paint shop.

Is it just me? I love the car, but the exterior colors are nowhere near as awesome as this car deserves.

Suggestions / thoughts welcome. What do you think?

I think it's you. The colors are excellent.

 

[Krugerrand]

My experience is that repainting a car is always highly unsatisfactory unless you strip it down to the bare body and give it what amounts to a "factory" paint job. This usually costs way more than the car did originally.

Agreed, but it's still an option if someone is that disappointed. :wink:

 

[sp4rk]

Is anyone else disappointed with the choices of factory colors?

I don't want white/black/grey/silver. Too many other cars on the road in these colors today. The blue is so dark it looks black, and the green is too drab. The brown is pretty nice but it doesn't grab me. The burgundy was ok, but I'm not excited by the new red.

I had heard Tesla was going to let you buy factory custom paint, but now that my invitation to finalize has come up, I'm being told I cannot. I'd need to buy white and bring it to an aftermarket paint shop.

Is it just me? I love the car, but the exterior colors are nowhere near as awesome as this car deserves.

Suggestions / thoughts welcome. What do you think?

Your opinion is just that. However I agree with you.

The only colour they offer that I love is "Sig" red. All the grey scales are, on any car, boring. I have always driven red.

Yes, they let you chose your own color for "a week" back when. No longer.

My plan is to have my black car "wrapped", locally; per the suggestion of someone here. When I take delivery (like everyone else it seems "February / March"), I am going to document the process.

 

[kishdude]

I have a green car, and I get frequent compliments on it. It is radiant emerald in direct sun, deep forrest green in shadow and basically back at night, when colors tend of fade regardless... But it is personal preference.

Same for me with the brown. I have brown and almost everyone without prompting says they love the color. It is a rich darker brown that looks good on a large car like the Model S. You really can't tell much from a paint swatch.

 

[Ceilidh]

My plan is to have my black car "wrapped", locally; per the suggestion of someone here. When I take delivery (like everyone else it seems "February / March"), I am going to document the process.

I have considered a matte wrap as well as grey or black with that can look like a stealth fighter if done properly. Problem is it can look pretty ghetto if not.

I for one would be very interested in seeing your end result.

Cheers

 

[NEWDL]

Honestly, close your eyes and pick a color. Your going to love this car, no matter what color it is.

From my experience in the car business, everyone says they want wild colors but when it comes down to it they go with a safe color they are "sure they can live with". I hate it, but it is their choice!

The car is AMAZING in every color.

 

[Robert.Boston]

I have a green car, and I get frequent compliments on it. It is radiant emerald in direct sun, deep forrest green in shadow and basically back at night, when colors tend of fade regardless... But it is personal preference.

Yep, I love my green. It shows off the curves and lines of the Model S beautifully.

Up here in New England, you rarely see high-end cars in brighter colors, so the Tesla palette works well. If the brown had been richer, like @roblab's custom job, it would be better IMO. And I agree with other comments, that the blue is half a shade too dark.

I certainly can see the demand in sunnier climes for some brighter colors. Perhaps Tesla will be able to add some next year, as the manufacturing process matures.

 

[Ocelot]

very much agree with OP. i have stated this before as well. i think the fisker colours are way nicer (the first time i saw diamond dust grey i thought...wow) . some of us do not want to blend in!http://s.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-KG969_fisker_E_20101001132051.jpg

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

I too agree that the car is Excellent in every color Tesla has done.

How about a vinyl wrap as other threads talk about? then you can always change the color if you want