To Orange or not....

[Rotarypower]

So....been patiently waiting for the right car to go on the market, but, yes that patience is wearing thin. The longer I wait, the more research I do, the more restrictive my requirement are becoming. Not to go into all of the details of that, but the one major requirement was it HAS to be Fusion Red. However, I have always been intrigued by Very Orange. Something about it that is so damn cool, extremely unique, and certainly eye catching. I am wavering to expand my requirement to include this awesome color. I've always had red cars. Maybe time to expand my horizon? So, just wondering for those that have a beutiful orange roadster, is the attention overwhelming? Is everyone always looking at your car, strangers approaching you about it? Is it a narsicistic play of extreme ego and attention grabbing? Can a normal human being live with it, drive it without feeling like you are in a glass tank at a public aquarium? Do you have regrets and wish you had purchased a tamer color? Do people make jokes about your car, calling it unflattering names (the tangerine, trump car, orange mobile, etc). Seriously, this car is like a siren song to no end.

Would you do it all over again, or make a different choice?

Thanks!

 

[DaveD]

Do it! Going with Brilliant Yellow was a radical step way out of my comfort zone when I chose it. (not to mention spending $100K on a car!) But, it's been a lot of fun with the more attractive color. (which I honestly got to be more noticeable to all the damn SUV's on the road, so they might see me and not hit me!) The orange color was high on my list, too, when I was making my color choice.

You will have to get used to people always taking pictures of your Roadster, and it does seem to invite people to approach you to ask questions, too. What little negative comments I've gotten pales in comparison to the positive responses to the color.

 

[AEdennis]

I'm always looking at the Very Orange... my wife's car is a Sig Green, on the other side of the color wheel... well, at least emotionally on the other side.

 

[snd92]

I'm a new owner of insane green. Many thumbs up and a lot of attention. It doesn't bother me too much though, maybe because I'm 24!? My father thinks it looks like a frog btw

 

[DaveD]

I'm a new owner of insane green. Many thumbs up and a lot of attention. It doesn't bother me too much though, maybe because I'm 24!? My father thinks it looks like a frog btw

Ah, if only Insane Green had been available in the early days of Roadster production... I very likely would've chosen that over Brilliant Yellow.

 

[Ashkenaz]

Pictures?

 

[snd92]

Pictures taken by the Porsche dealer i bought the car from

 

[ChadS]

I drove a Brilliant Yellow Roadster for 7 years. (Mine was similar to DaveD's, but a little better). I will admit that the black Model S I drive now does make me feel notably more anonymous - it gets far less attention.

But from being with other Roadster owners, I think more of that is the car than the color. And, as Dave noted, the color has practical benefits - the Roadster is only, what, 44" tall? I love Thunder Gray, but no way I'd want to drive a car that small that is camouflaged against a wet roadway. Yellow is the color that is most visible in daylight (at night, lights matter more than color) and I don't think orange is far behind.

Over the years I did have a few people ask if it came in other colors. But I also got quite a few compliments; and note that there is a gene that makes some people not like yellow, so yellow is probably more polarizing than orange.

I'd never had a car that bright before, and even after 7 years I still loved the color. I'd do it again.

 

[snd92]

To answer ur question: Yes, orange or any other bright colors.

 

[gregd]

I have a Thunder Gray 2.0, and it is never lacking for attention. It's the car, primarily, before the color that gets noticed. No shortage of craned necks and cell phone cameras out there. With other cars you worry when there's a circle of people around your car when you come out of the market. With the Roadster you just smile.

I've always been concerned about the the safety aspect of the car visually disappearing in bad weather, but with a car this size, that is true even when the sun is shining. When you pass a truck and have to look UP to see the top of the tires, you learn that driving defensively is the best way to stay safe.

For me, the more muted colors are a better match to the quiet strength that is the Roadster. I don't need to have a screaming ICE under the hood, nor paint to match. But the brighter colors also show the car's playful side. Get whatever color pleases you, and enjoy.

 

[ecarfan]

So, just wondering for those that have a beutiful orange roadster, is the attention overwhelming? Is everyone always looking at your car, strangers approaching you about it? Is it a narsicistic play of extreme ego and attention grabbing? Can a normal human being live with it, drive it without feeling like you are in a glass tank at a public aquarium? Do you have regrets and wish you had purchased a tamer color? Do people make jokes about your car, calling it unflattering names (the tangerine, trump car, orange mobile, etc). Seriously, this car is like a siren song to no end.

I have never heard anyone joke about my Very Orange Roadster. I am not a flashy guy, and I have no problem driving it. It is my favorite Roadster color. It draws remarkably little attention. And that is not because of where I live: while Teslas are common here, Roadsters are rare. Months go by without my seeing another one.

 

[ViperDoc]

I have a Roadster 2.5 Sport, and when I ordered mine, I went back and forth between the electric blue and the very orange. Both were so attractive. My prior car for 17 years was a Martinique Yellow Pearl Mitsubishi 3000GT VR/4, so the orange really appealed as a unique color. I love blue and went with that, but I still go back and forth asking myself what I would have liked better (or course, had I gone with Very Orange, I would only have taken the leather accents in orange!)

 

[DeedWest]

I had a Very Orange 2.5 for a year; it was my first Roadster. When I found it, it was at a price I couldn't refuse, and I wasn't even sure the color was right for me (I had only seen ONE in person in that color, and it was not accented by gorgeous black wheels).

I drove 250 miles to see it, and instantly fell in love. It's possibly the best color option for such a rare, unique, and exotic car. It accentuates the trim pieces, and pops with the black wheels. Also, if you're lucky enough to find one with exterior carbon fiber, it pops even further.

Huge pro tip about Very Orange - it gets CONSIDERABLY less dirty compared to other colors - even Electric Blue gets dirty quicker. Also, bugs think your car is some sort of giant electric transportation flower. It's a beautiful thing to have dozens of ladybugs and praying mantis' ride-sharing on a normal basis.

To each their own, but I simply cannot stand when Roadsters are in mundane colors. For the most influential EV that STILL looks like it's a new car, it deserves a vibrant color.

Not to mention, its size makes it difficult to be seen by larger vehicles. If you're driving a bright orange traffic cone, chances are you'll be seen. ;-)

I miss you, 1213.

 

[Rotarypower]

DeedWest, awesome car. So your post begs the question......why did you sell, only later to buy two other roadsters? And neither is orange!

 

[Canuck1966]

My future model 3

So....been patiently waiting for the right car to go on the market, but, yes that patience is wearing thin. The longer I wait, the more research I do, the more restrictive my requirement are becoming. Not to go into all of the details of that, but the one major requirement was it HAS to be Fusion Red. However, I have always been intrigued by Very Orange. Something about it that is so damn cool, extremely unique, and certainly eye catching. I am wavering to expand my requirement to include this awesome color. I've always had red cars. Maybe time to expand my horizon? So, just wondering for those that have a beutiful orange roadster, is the attention overwhelming? Is everyone always looking at your car, strangers approaching you about it? Is it a narsicistic play of extreme ego and attention grabbing? Can a normal human being live with it, drive it without feeling like you are in a glass tank at a public aquarium? Do you have regrets and wish you had purchased a tamer color? Do people make jokes about your car, calling it unflattering names (the tangerine, trump car, orange mobile, etc). Seriously, this car is like a siren song to no end.

Would you do it all over again, or make a different choice?

Thanks!

 

[DeedWest]

DeedWest, awesome car. So your post begs the question......why did you sell, only later to buy two other roadsters? And neither is orange!

I had to move to Los Angeles for my job, and it was highly impractical at the time to keep a Roadster where I was going to be living. Not to mention, the Tesla employee that was badgering me about purchasing my car made it difficult to keep it. It was his dream configuration. So I gave her a great home and she currently resides in the Bay Area.

I seem to have a curse of meeting the best possible humans that are looking for Roadsters, become lifelong friends, and get talked into selling my current vehicles. I'm far from selfish, and I just simply love the Roadster. That means ANY of them. If I'm driving one and the right person comes along asking for it, I'll give it a happy home. I'm enough of an enthusiast to be able to find another one to bring me endless joy.

My dream color was always Electric Blue. Now that I have one, it's endlessly fulfilling to walk outside and stare at it every day.

As the timeline goes, I'm just waiting for someone to eventually ask me for it. LOL.

 

[hcsharp]

The only thing about very orange is you have to have a solid door with good weatherstripping between your garage and your house. Otherwise that color can keep you awake at night.

I never cared much for very orange until I saw one in person. It has a depth and richness that you can't appreciate unless you're close to it. Pictures don't do it justice.

I have Fusion Red and it looks great. I wanted brilliant yellow but it cost more and I was already over budget.

 

[Tex EV]

To each their own, but I simply cannot stand when Roadsters are in mundane colors. For the most influential EV that STILL looks like it's a new car, it deserves a vibrant color.
Not to mention, its size makes it difficult to be seen by larger vehicles. If you're driving a bright orange traffic cone, chances are you'll be seen. ;-)

I felt the same way when I first set out to find a Roadster (Very Orange was #1 on the list), then landed on Thunder Gray which I've come to appreciate. IMO it's the one neutral color that really lets the car's lines come out. You're definitely right about being seen. Instead of an orange traffic cone, my car is an odd disturbance in the asphalt. The name "Thunder Gray" is a hilarious contradiction as there is nothing thunderous about a Roadster flying down the highway . Or parked. At one point I was actually called by office security and asked to not park at the ends of parking aisles because they'd been getting too many complaints from people who almost drove into it.

 

[shrink]

I'm going on 4 years of ownership with my Very Orange Roadster. I love the color, but it honestly gets a little too much attention. I still get stopped regularly in parking lots. I still see people taking photos of my car when driving. It's honestly a bit if a hassle and annoyance.

It also depends on how you plan to use the car. I don't drive my Roadster daily and usually drive a relatively nondescript silver Model S to work. But part of my job is working with underserved populations and when I do take the Roadster to work, there are usually a lot of comments about it from the clientele. I also have random people yelling at me sometimes, "Hey, man - how much did you pay for that car?" Also, my wife volunteers monthly and feels self-conscious about driving the Roadster to the shelter.

So, it's a mixed bag for me. It's a gorgeous car and great color, but I find the attention at times uncomfortable. Although I'm not certain a different colored Roadster would attract significantly less attention for me and the places I would take it.

I do have a Model 3 on order and when it arrives, my Roadster will probably assume full-on garage queen status.

 

[ecarfan]

usually drive a relatively nondescript silver Model S

How far we have come when a Model S, of any color, can be called "nondescript".