Spending a few winters in the Pacific Northwest will heighten one’s appreciation of color (explains our kitchen). Also explains why folks take similar measure with their cars, I assume. This Subaru Loyale stands out on a dreary gray day. Here’s some more:
Is this a case of keeping up with the neighbors?
But the next house down the street has one too. Contagious.
Some folks might think this W116 to be a bit sacrilegious.
Flowers and butterflies! Stephanie has been trying to get me to go for a re-spray on her forest-green Forester for years. But I can’t see spending the money, but I do have a whole lot of left over paint in the garage. Probably wouldn’t even affect the resale vale, in Eugene, anyway.
I’ve spent 54 winters in Oregon–that’s why my favorite car colors are lime green, red, and orange. I can’t understand why anyone who lives here would want grey or black.
Lily and I have three cars, all red.
I’m a PNW’er and my wife hates red cars, of course when ever I find her new beater car it’s always red. I must admit I like black and I’ve got 2 in the driveway. Of course for the Family Truckster in it’s trim level it was only available in black and pearl white. The other again at the time it was produced went back to Henry’s philosophy of any color you want as long as it’s black. But grey and silver are colors I wouldn’t choose. I do like my not so bright Omaha Orange Scout’s color though.
I can’t understand why anyone ANYWHERE would want grey or black. One of the non-negotiable points on any car I’m shopping for is that it has to be painted a color. Black, White, and shades of metallic grey are not colors.
I completely agree. I was so happy when I found my Impreza in a wonderful deep blue at such a great price… Especially here in Japan something like 80% of all cars sold are white, black, or somewhere in between. Commutes are rather depressing, except when the occasional rebel drives by in his Mitsuoka or deco-tora.
I’ve seen this odd Nissan truck around a few times
Dreary miserable day here too apple thinning on sodden trees aint my thing but these certainly brighten things up the Subaru sedan damn near glows and I like the Benz and Ovlov now I guess Id better go back and earn some more Xmas money.
Ah, Eugene… The first Subie is very positive.
Cool kitchen Paul! Is that Marmoleum? We just put in the same floor, in red and white.
Commercial composition tile. Like marmoleum, but that’s priced many times more than this, and Stephanie was a bit worried about its toughness. She’s very hard on a floor.
Is the zebra a 2nd generation Mazda 626 hatchback? I haven’t seen one in ages, but a friend’s family had one for years. Hopefully they’ll park it on the street so it can become a Curbside Classic.
Was the Krusty The Klown-mobile/van totally missed?
I am with the curbside concensus that some color is a good thing. This is my favorite thing about 1950s cars – the wide variety of colors available.
Of the many cars I have owned, the vast majority have been used, so I took whatever color I got. But three times in my life, I have bought a new car. Aha, thought naive me, a rainbow from which to choose! Wrong.
85 VW GTI – available in silver (ugh) a hot orangy red (ugh) and black. Bought the black one.
07 Honda Fit. Mrs. JPC wanted black/tan interior, not black/gray. We also wanted the Sport model. That combination available in – ta daa – white. So we bought the white one.
12 Kia Sedona. Available in metallic red (same color as Mom’s Buick Lacrosse that I got so sick of driving last summer), champaigne (ugh), white (done that), black (done that) silver (ugh), silver blue (wife hated) and dark gray. Bought the dark gray.
So there you have it – black, white and dark gray. Now I’m depressed.
My drive way has some colour Hillmans in Blue/white & Red/White/Rust, Citroen in Emerald green
Paul, that kitchen is very nice, I’m envious.
As I am a Vanagon fan, I have to post my favourite Vanagon colour. This one is a 16″ Syncro, in Holland of course.
alistair
Its like the Mercedes is wearing an Aloha shirt.
Woa, nice kitchen there Paul!
As for me, I rather like the jade like green that on my truck! 🙂
That said, I plan on having the dealer find me a car in the color I choose when I go to buy if new. For a used car, anything other than black, gray, silver or white will do.
If I end up buying the Fiat 500 it’ll be red or yellow and I am a native of the Pac NW and love, love, love color myself.
Stephanie designed it, I built it, except the cabinets. Fun project; ended taking way too long (1 1/2 years!). Good thing I set up a temporary kitchen in the diningroom.
I waited months to replace my 96 Geo, because I was holding out for a decent color. Boston commutes are depressing enough. EVERY used Mazda3 seems to be rendered on a black & white screen, except for mine, and this guy’s. Love this color, dark red in the shade and almost orange in direct sun.
I LOVE that color. Mica Red Metallic, IIRC. I was smitten with a Mazda3 hatch in that color before we bought our Fit, but not enough headroom for tall kids in back. We also looked at a Mazda5 and Mazda7 this year before we went with the Kia. A Mazda in our driveway WOULD have been that color.
Great minds thinking alike, as usual, JP. 🙂 I’m lucky that my kids aren’t yet tall enough to whine about headroom.
That reminds me of the burgundy color on our first Accord, a 1980 sedan, before the yellow faded out of it and it became more of a purplish color. It looked very close to a true candy color in bright sunlight.
I swear I commented on this yesterday, but here goes again…
I’m pretty sure I’ve seen the Subie on the OP in a book or website somewhere. Don’t recall exactly. I’m surprised to see the more expensive Subie in the second pix with artwork on it, usually art cars are for the cars that are past their prime, unwanted or unloved by someone else.
My idea for an art car was to get something near-worthless, like a Yugo, in white and paint stuff on it with tempera paints. And then, when I was tired of whatever I rendered, I could take it to the local high pressure wash bay and get a clean slate!
I haven’t done it yet, maybe I will try it out with the Cavalier…
@ 73ImpCapn & jpc: The color to which you refer is Copper Red Metallic. It is without question the best color Mazda offers (especially nice when paired with a tan interior). I’ve written most of Mazda’s brochures since 2002, and I recall that the agency art directors tried to shoot that color combo as often as possible. When we bought a MAZDA5 last month I lobbied hard for that color, but my wife preferred Frigidaire White. One must pick one’s battles…
Now tell us how you came by that nickname, kind sir… 🙂 And when are you writing a CC about your adventures in car-copy-land?
Captain, Since I have a fondness for early- and mid-sixties Imperials and a desire for world domination, my screen name works at two levels. I’d be honored to be a contributor to CC; I hope only that my advertising tales might be as interesting and entertaining as Bertel’s at TTAC. That said, I’m at your service, Mr. N.
I for one welcome our new copywriter overlords. Imps and Mazdas coexist peacefully in at least one driveway.