Black is hard to keep clean but it's arguably the most beautiful color on a clean car.
Only 14.4% of M3s on Troy's survey are black. In the bay area, there seems to be even fewer black M3s on the road. I see a larger proportion of non-Tesla cars in black.
I get that people have the money to personalize their car a bit. But $1500+ is way overpriced. Lexus offers colors for free. BMW and Audi charge $550 and $600 more, respectively.
On the bright side, you get exercise washing your car and it's the best way to inspect for dings. It just takes me an extra hour every 2 - 3 weeks. I'm sure I'll spend less time washing during the summer.
The only other downside is that black is hotter under the sun. But that's a lot less of an issue since you can pre-cool the car.
Personally, I skipped the colors and fancy rims and bought FSD instead.
Re keeping it clean and looking nice - I highly recommend using waterless wash. If you take a moment to learn how to use it right you won't have swirl marks or haze ever.
I'm pretty knowledgeable about this since I've been studying it since 2013 when I bought my first Tesla (a red Model S). The detailers employed by Tesla Service Center in Burbank educated me and since then I have become a Certified Detailer, shopped through various products and learned a lot about wrapped as well as unwrapped Teslas, and other aluminum body cars & trucks, as well as standard body cars.
The waterless wash that DOES NOT CONTAIN SILICON is the best. The others (many of which are popular brand names) create a slow buildup of that silicon which creates a haze. The reason waterless wash works so well is the wax is already in it. You can also get a version without wax, which is what you want for wrapped cars. A wrapped surface will attract and collect the wax, and you won't be able to buff it out. When you apply waterless do not dilute it because it's actually more lubricating than water and safer for your car than water. Once you've wiped it off, it will have a very fine haze which you buff briefly to get that really glossy Tesla shine.
Taking your car to a car wash, you're often exposing your car to dirty water (with Microparticles of soot and brake dust), thin and often dirty "rinsed" rags, and workers who are doing circular scrubbing motions which will show up later in the clear coat.
If you use waterless wash with a really thick nap (GSM 350 or higher) microfiber cloth with it, it's super easy to use and won't create any micro scratches. You can do it anywhere (don't need a hose and bucket) and conserve water if you are living in an area like California.
Black is the BEST color as long as you keep it glossy. I've seen swirl marks after just ONE visit to a car wash.
AND only use a certified detailer. So many people don't know what they are doing and use buffers incorrectly. The point of a buffer (in an annual detail) is to REMOVE a layer of the clear coat. You want this done minimally and with a light touch - and preferably with the modern rubber attachments - not old fashioned wool which will grind it down in no time. There are easy products available that you can do this yourself and it's really actually fun.
