Premium $$ for Pearl Color

Not worth it. Go for Clear Water Metallic Blue, you mostly have to wash only once in 6 month.

 

or silver

 

Get whatever color you want. If you are spending $20-30k on a car is $200 really going to make a difference at that point if that is the color you really want. If you want that color then $200 extra is worth it if you don't want it then just get another color.

 

I can normally tolerate any color car except black or white. That said, the blizzard pearl white looks very nice as long as you keep it clean. If you like white, you will be happy you payed the extra bucks. No half steppin !

 

It's interesting that my beloved company only paid for one option for "my" 2010 G3.....the BWP.
They didn't do this for blingThey did this B/C all of our vehicles are white.
White is almost as safe as....YELLOW!!!!!!!
My beloved company makes Ebenezer Scrooge look like a drunken sailor where spending money is concerned....something I can speak of with some authority....believe me.
They would not have spent $1 on the optional color if i
f the Aichi Iron Works had offered a Prius in Primer White.
You have to love irony....

Personally?
I think that it's worth it. It's a very deep color and it hides dirt well.
It hides surface imperfections exceptionally well.
Please note that BWP stands for Blizzard White PEARL.
It's a little different than white.
White? On a slab-sided car? Well....it can look like you're driving a refirgerator.
Obviously.....YMMV.

However (comma!) that is MY opinion.
Current street value.... <$0.02.

I think that nothing shouts "geezer!!!" louder than silver...and if you live in an area that is prone to rain and fog, and you drive a car without automatic headlights.....like....for example...a 2010 PRIUS, well....
I've never been wild about the blues and greens either. They usually either mean that the driver is a kid, or an old geezer like me that's trying a little too hard.
There IS no better looking color ON THE PLANET than black. Period.
That lasts for about 20-minutes....and then....there's probably no worse looking color for a car.

Again.....all MY opinions, which are just as good....or just as crappy as anybody else’s.
I've never been much of a follower, so sometimes my views on what's "cool" are a little different.
For example....I've never been really keen on putting LARGE wheels on an itty-bitty car.

There's a saying in the M/C community:
YOU have to ride YOUR ride!
Ever seen a sadder sight than somebody throwing $20,000 into a Harley Dealership to get a bike that shouts: "This is soooooooo NOT me!"????

The car is kinda the same way for anybody that does not treat it like a transportation appliance. If you're one of those? You probably wouldn't care if it were bubblegum pink.
If you've already picked out the car???
Get the color that YOU want!

 

I'm going to be jaymac's polar opposite here as I ONLY care about white/black. My preference would have been for the black but as most people pointed out it's really nice when it's clean, and then just a light haze of dust on it reduces the look drastically.

Anyway I believe the white is worth it. I don't know if they treat it any other way or have a special coat on it but if you have your heart set on white, go for it. You can always try to negotiate that price right out during the buying process.

In terms of look/aesthetics? I really like white. While this is my personal preference, I do believe white is more eye catching, it makes your car look a little more classy, and benefits the most from add-ons (such as rims, tint, etc).

 

Look into the sparkles.......

 

THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!!!!!!!!!!! *high five*

 

Get the color that YOU like. You will be driving the car everyday. If this color makes you happy.... go get it!

 

Personally I didn't go for the Blizzard Pearl. I did a thread search on the color and people had a lot of issues with touch-up and body work. IMHO it's not worth the extra money. My favotite color (Driftwood Pearl/Sandy Beach) was discontinued for 2012 . Not much of a color selection left.

 

Went in and wanted the white but all of the BWP were package 4 or 5. I was going to get the dark blue until I checked the dealers site and saw the Barcelona Red with the dark grey interior and that was all she wrote. First 2 cars were a white Tundra, and a white 08 Prius. Last was a black Eclipse.....never again will I own black..clean for 10-15 minutes then looks like @ss.

Sandy Beach was my first choice but none of the dealers had any in San Diego when I bought and didn't feel like paying MSRP just for a dealer trade.

 

Just bought my 2012 Prius Two in BWP a couple weeks ago. I really liked the Barcelona Red, but we already have a Rav4 in BR, so I decided to go with BWP on the Prius. Actually, the dealer I bought from had a no-haggle price that was the same for every Prius Two they had, so I really did not pay a premium for it.

 

bwp all the way... $200 is so worth it. i would have paid $500 for it. i love it. after a wash,clay, and wax the pearl really pops.

 

The "pearl" gives you an extra coat of paint. That's why it's more expensive. If you think that looks good or if you think that will protect the car better, go for it. Otherwise it's a waste of money. I spent an extra $1300 putting 3M film on the front of the car. So maybe -my- opinion is a bit biased.

BUT..... no chips yet! (knocking on wood!)

 

I plan to get a Prius and keep it for a long time, 10 years. And over that long time the car is going to get scratches and dents. I'm not inclined take the car in body shop to repair scratches and minor dents. I'd rather buy a bottle of touch up paint from a dealer, dab it on and live with it. Which color is best for me? Is the white pearl or silver significantly less forgiving for this type of non professional repair?

 

While white is usually great in this respect, the BP paint has a black base coat so under every chip is a black spot. If the scratch is not deep then BP still hides it well.

 

Definitely worth the extra money. Pearlescent paints are three-stage paints that have a base coat, a mid-coat with mica, and top clear coat. All other colors are two stage. There is more paint on the BWP color than other Prius colors and the pigments are bloody expensive.

The downside is minor/major repairs. BWP is easier to damage because white colors contain a higher percentage of pigmented solids than other colors that in turn makes the paint finish less flexible (and heavier). Pearls are more difficult to paint/match making them the bane of body repair shops. Shops have the opportunity to screw up three coats of paint rather than two. Perfect color/tint is more difficult with pearls; requiring a higher level of skill and experience for the painter.

Paint-chip touch-up with BWP is also less successful than with other colors. You need to cover the black primer with a single stage touch-up tube that can't replicate the coverage achieved by the original three-stage paint where they layer pigments in the base coat to get good coverage. You can just never effectively cover a chip down to the black primer with a compromised single stage touch-up tube.

That said, the BWP is a very rich look in my view, and highly reflective to help keep the car cooler and more visible under all conditions.

 

Once I saw the Blizzard Pearl I was sold. It's nothing short of incredible. And here in Florida you DON"T want a dark car. The sun beating on a dark car will get it hot enough to fry an egg on it. I also have the solar pkg which runs all the time and keeps the interior almost the same temp as it is outside.

But getting back on topic. The BWP has NO orange peel. Mine was a $195 option and to me its worth every penny. Especially with the black solar roof option.