Color- I can still change my mind...

Funny thing about trees, they are harder to find in many parking lots, and other folks tend to take advantage of them first.

As a former long time Texas resident I'm sensitive to how hot my vehicle will be when I get in it. (Another reason I never have understood leather for seats.)

 

I had a black car once.I will never have a black car again. That about sums it up for me. I love my silver Prius. The silver doesn't show dirt well and it still waxes up well to a nice shine. Black cars are a bear to keep clean and they're prone to showing swirls. They don't age as well as the other colors either. Nicks and scratches seem to magnify on a black car.

 

lol, but there are birds in trees that will poop on your black car and the white makes for greater contrast over the paint color...

seriously, i can't tell a difference between the white car, the black car, or the dark blue car when they're sitting in the sun all day. they're all miserably hot inside and you don't want to touch anything metal. window tint and windshield reflector helps.

 

yeah i would like to know if the film protects against swirl marks

eventually i will go to sears and get a leaf blower, for $30 i bet it eliminates any chance
of swirl marks showing up in the drying process

 

Good point; the Orange Country (CA) Transit Authority has a fleet of white Prius.

 

Now that's a dirty car! Your license plate stayed nice and white though.

I own the Spectra Blue. Similar to the black I'm sure, it's hard to keep clean. Dust shows up fast. I wash once a week but it needs it sooner. Too bad I couldn't drive through a distilled water sprayer (recycling h20 of course) every night after work. However, after a wash and wax, the darker color has a glossy depth like no other! So nice.

 

I agree. The so-called "Dark Gray" interior is certainly not dark gray at all. The only parts that are dark gray are the plastic facia on the dash and doors - and those same colors are in the bisque interior as well. I would call the color medium gray - or even medium light. I doubt it absorbs any more heat than the bisque interior.

 

The plastic film is easier to wash but will still scratch if you use dirty rags. The benefit is that the plastic is scratched, not the paint. The primer is white and the car is a scratch magnet. Get as much as you can covered in plastic. I don't believe waxing causes any electrostatic force build up. Dust, dirt, pollen, & other stuff are in the air and settle on the dirty car as well as the clean. It is just that you see the difference on the clean one.

 

When we ordered our Prius back in May, I told the salesman we'd take any color except tan (not my taste) and silver (our other car is silver). It was the CAR we wanted, and the color was secondary.
Turns out, fate brought us a Super White model with tan interior. While this would not have been my first choice, I've since learned to love our white Pri. It reminds me of my white MacBook computer, my white iPod, and if you've seen the movie WALL-E, it reminds me of the cool white 'female' robot who flies around saving the planet. (You may need a good imagination for that one!)
The white Prius with the black trim looks exceedingly sharp in my eyes. It doesn't show the dirt all that much, like others have pointed out, and I guess it's less hot in the sun. Have had no problems keeping the tan interior clean.

 

electrostatic force build up. Dust, dirt, pollen, & other stuff are in the air and settle on the dirty car as well as the clean. It is just that you see the difference on the clean one.[/quote]

i got these microfiber drying towels + a chamois i use once in a while, the directions say not to use fabric softners or dryer sheets on the drying towels, and sometimes when i buff it, i can feel a definite charge building up, and the little bits of lint (or little bits of chamois) are being left on the car, it could also be regular dust in the room, too

ive been leaning towards using the drying towels more, i use about 4 of them, and you can throw them in the washer afterwards, with chamois i have to start with a damp one and then get all the water out regularly and then air dry it....