Should I change paint color from solid black?

[Spelly88]

Hey all!

I was reading another post where the OP's opinion was that the default solid black exterior was the worst at showing paint flaws and imperfections.

Naturally, I already ordered mine with solid black. I figured I'd save the 1k assuming it would still look good. I also went with the white interior. Now I'm having second thoughts on if I should change to a different color.

Does anyone have the solid black, and would you buy it again if you could do it over?

What is a good color to go with that compliments the white premium? (also got the carbon fiber upgrade). I seem to have no preference other than I don't want the light and dark silver options. I'm not even sure if I'm able to switch at this point, but I figured I'd check all my options...

Thanks!

 

[johnster007]

I have 2 solid black so I would but future car will be a white stormtrooper. IMHO nothing looks better than a freshly washed and waxed black car (in indirect sunlight and for about 30 seconds). Red and blue look awesome with white interior as does my black.

 

[realvvk]

I regret not spending the money on upgraded paint. Base black color looks awesome when it is clean but takes a huge amount of effort to get there. It goes beyond normal washing and drying. The finish shows every little hard water spot, so it takes a lot of work with instant detail wax to get it to look clean and shiny. I highly recommend you pay for obsidian black if you want black. My friend has that color and it is perfect.

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

Yes solid black is one of my few regrets.

 

[365gtb4]

My latest Tesla is white with white interior. We travel the southwest deserts often and black and blue just get to hot.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

Personal opinion, but we were pretty much decided on white before we saw the Model 3 in person. IMHO, the car looks really good in red and blue. If you haven't had a chance to see all the colors in person, I'd try to do that before you make your final decision.

 

[TexasRat]

I personally will never own a black car because of:
1) It's too hard to keep clean. Looks amazing when it's clean, but shows swirl marks and all imperfections too easily
2) I live in Texas and a black car is just asking to soak up all the heat in 100+ degree days.

That being said, I didn't want to spend $1000 just to get silver/gray (which I prefer because it hides dirt, etc) so I went with blue.

It's up to you though. How much do you care about what your car looks like (shiny, perfect, glossy beautiful from a distance and up close)? If you don't care, just pick the color you like. At this point, you'll have to pay $1500 for a color change, so you have to decide if it's worth it. Only you can make that decision.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Color is perhaps the most emotional choice is choosing a car.

Black looks fantastic when clean, but is hard to keep that way.

Standard black and standard white gives a surprisingly large range of benefits.

The standard white is a really good shade of white. Does not show scratches and is easy to keep clean. It looks classy and goes well with any interior or trim color. Believe that white is the most popular color for all vehicles.

People choosing a color are usually guided by the entire package. A red that looks fantastic on a small car may not look as great on a larger one. Yellow might be perfect for a Lamborghini, but remind you of a Taxi Cab on a 4 door sedan.

I got my X in White because it was a "free" color. Had that storm trooper look and the shade was great looking to me. Easy to keep clean and cooler in my SoCal Sun.

Problem was that the car also looked great in the other colors.

Went down to the service center, where they had all the colors in the parking lot. While they all looked good, that stone white just called out to me.

I ordered the Tan leather interior because it matched the color of my Golden Retriever that sheds a lot .

Still smile with pride every time I walk up to the Tesla, and realize that it is really mine. That smile gets just a little wider when I actually get the chance to drive off in it. Even enjoy taking some time to wash or wax it myself.

For me, owning a Tesla has been a life altering event.

 

[selfbp]

I have white and I couldn't be happier. Only consideration is red for me. I have a black Camaro and I will never in my life own another black vehicle at my choice. I took up a hobby of paint correction just as a side effect of being a little ocd and owning the Camaro

 

[DCGOO]

Color is perhaps the most emotional choice is choosing a car.

Black looks fantastic when clean, but is hard to keep that way.

Standard black and standard white gives a surprisingly large range of benefits.

The standard white is a really good shade of white. Does not show scratches and is easy to keep clean. It looks classy and goes well with any interior or trim color. Believe that white is the most popular color for all vehicles.

The standard white was discontinued some time ago. The only "standard" (no extra charge) color is black. You can get the pearl white, but comes with an extra cost.

 

[Spelly88]

Thanks for all the responses so far. I really appreciate it... Honestly, I'm not sure I have a color preference here, hence this post. I basically stuck with black because it was free, and didn't give it a second thought until I read about how it's tough to maintain... So it's really cool/helpful to see the poll results so far...

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

The only question is, can you make it... blacker?

 

[johnster007]

Another reason I chose solid black is the ability for the paint shop to match in the event of an accident, ding, etc. Metallics are much more difficult to match the original paint. Matching solid black is easy.

 

[P85_DA]

Have had two MC Red Model S...and now went with Pearl White X ...I have seen black Xs at the SC all chipped up and doesn’t look good at all as the big front end is a chip magnet ...unless u wrap and ceramic coat immediately I would switch if u can pearl white with white interior looks great ...my $.02 ...

 

[Acho]

Buy black and wrap it whatever color you like

 

[jtdiddy]

a clean washed/waxed black always looks awesome but maintenance is killer.

i got white because i think it just looks clean and the stormtrooper look is an all-time classic. plus it's easier to see at night.

 

[Jayrod]

a clean washed/waxed black always looks awesome but maintenance is killer.

i got white because i think it just looks clean and the stormtrooper look is an all-time classic. plus it's easier to see at night.

Same did Storm Trooper. I've had a lot of black vehicles its a pain. If its a DD def do not do black.

 

[Spelly88]

Just to close the loop on this, I wound up switching it to the Pearl White today... My OA has been really good, and I guess because of my prior issue with the failed 90d purchase, they waived the $500 change fee for me... Thanks for all the opinions!

 

[P85_DA]

@Spelly88 great choice !!! White white looks good ..after getting mine wrapped and ceramiced the white pops even more ...

 

[Spelly88]

@Spelly88 great choice !!! White white looks good ..after getting mine wrapped and ceramiced the white pops even more ...

@P85_DA I think I get the concept of wrapping, but what does the ceramic coating do? Is it also a paint protector? Is it cheaper than wrapping?