My wife is considering a 2007 black Prius. I remember when shopping around that many regard the black paint from Nissan to be horrible. Why are black Prius' seemingly more available than the other colors?
In my experience black Prius are fairly hard to find. Perhaps you have some sort of local anomaly. Btw, black is the best color for a Prius. Tom
I now own a black vehicle. I've owned them in the past as well. IMO the "advantage" to Black is in my personal opinon..when it is clean it looks great. The disadvantage column for Black....is admittedly very long. Any Black...hard to maintain...shows all dust, swirl, scratch or dirt. Absorbs heat...vehicle will not stay cool. My guess is with Prius, you have an older, slightly wiser demographic that values a reflective paint that keeps the vehicle cooler and perhaps shades that are easier to maintain. That being said, even though black has many disadvantages...if you like spending time maintaining your vehicle...and you like black...go for it....
I once owned a very beat up black Samurai... not hard to keep the thing looking it's best since it's best was so crappy. Bought it for $500 and sold it for $100 after spending almost as much time under it than driving it... ah the silly things we do in our youth.
True! . . . just behind white - Black looks great ... shows dirt the easiest ... and makes the car's interior WAY warmer ... that's good in winter ... bad in summer ... so like many other things ... it's an equal amount of trade off's.
I have a black Prius, and love the color! Yeah, it gets warm in the sun, but clean it looks great. Some of the other colors just seem so "common". When I ordered mine, I told them I would take Red, Green, or Black. Turned down 3 other available cars before one in black came available. Color is a personal preference.
I LOVE my black '09. I got the windows tinted and that helps with the heat issue. It looks SHAAAAAAAAAAAAARP when its clean and waxed... of course that is rare for my car but I do adore my black car anyway. When I was shopping, I wanted the darker blue one (prism blue I think it's called) but the dealer didn't have it...so I got my second color choice. I think I am happier with the black than I would have been with the blue.
I don't any of the colors except red and black. My red Prius with black solar panels is very sharp, like a Russian constructivist poster.
The dark blue is Spectra Blue Mica, available only in 2008-2009 (there's a slightly different dark blue for 2010).
Funny I called like 10-12 dealerships before finding the black one that I wanted... Some dealerships either had mostly white, some mostly sandy beach/silver and very very few had a lot of blacks. Must be an LA thing that black sells out...
For those who say black looks the best when its clean, thats true for any color. When my neighbor got her Barcelona red waxed at the Toyota dealership, it looked HOT - like a showroom car. I think my magnetic gray is equally sharp when clean too.
Well I chose black for my latest vehicle and I've chosen black in the past...and what I mean is that when black is clean it looks best...and by best...I mean better than any other color choice. But of course I'm prejudice...and it is personal opinion. But of course ALL colors look better when clean...
Anything dark is beautiful when its clean, but its not easy to keep it clean. My Lexus is a dark very metallic pearl burgundy. Its a beautiful color and I get many compliments on it...even now as old as it is. It is a commitment though to keep it looking its best. I used to own a car detailing business and black cars were always the most rewarding to do. I personally have never had the courage to buy a black car for myself. The Black Garnet I have on the Lexus is as close as I have gotten. I really like the Prius in black, and that magnetic grey (they didnt have that when we bought ours). I like that better than the Winter Grey on the 2010. One thing to keep in mind. Lexus black has no clearcoat, its a single stage paint (color coat all the way through). I don't know if Toyota uses the same black, but it may. A single stage paint is very soft and will scratch and mar easily. However, it i very easy to polish back once that happens. If you park outside or use automatic carwashes, a single stage black car will be tough. One way to see is to get some scratch-X or other hand polish and buff the paint. If your towel turns black...or whatever color the paint is...its single stage. It will be very slight and you might just think its dirt...
I have Siver Pine Mica ....or something like that. Basically it's a light green....but I get lots of compliments. I had an Altima that color as well that people seemed to like. I like it. I never have been a Red car guy but to each his/her own. I think black ...cleand and shiny always looks sharp. The Pearl White in the Gen III is pretty sharp as well.
