Colour considerations

-

Is colour a valid consideration when buying a second-hand car?

The more I browse the Pistonheads classifieds, the fussier I seem to become about the colour of car I'll accept. And I'm not just talking about dismissing the odd pink Boxster here (odd being the operative word). There's such a wealth of quality used cars on that site, it almost encourages you to be choosy. But is it going too far when you're reluctant to take on a fairly standard silver car?

Thing is, the more I see of graphite and medium silver-coloured cars, the more I think “Hmmmm... I'm not going to catch the eye in that.” And that's not a vanity thing. It's all about the trackdays. If I'm pushing someone, but not quite fast enough to get past cleanly, I at least want to be sure that they see me.

To that end, the Mini's been great and I'd be more than happy to get another red car. The yellow S2000 (that I'm not getting, honest) would be great too. But cars that blend into the sky or the tarmac? Well, I'd choose something else, given the choice. Or, if there were no better choice, I'd seriously consider buying a bright red sunstrip for the top of the windscreen... perhaps with “Prepare to be lapped” on it, in mirror writing. ;-)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Driving the Tank

-
I don’t normally give cars nicknames. With the Zed, however, I’m tempted to call it The Tank. Not because of its size or muscularity, but as an abbreviation of sensory deprivation tank. Yep, that’s right — and it’s not a good thing. The test-drive concerns I had about the 350Z being too comfortable a car are still with me. Except now, I’ve translated that nebulous feeling of unease into a sense that it simply doesn’t provide enough feedback. Journeys at night and in wet weather can be absolutely exhausting. I find myself trying to heighten my senses to the tiniest cues coming through the steering wheel, chassis and pedals. Often I’ll end up leaning forward in my seat, as if listening to a quiet friend in a noisy pub. Thankfully, however, it’s not like that all the time. When you put your foot down and hustle it a bit, the car starts talking again. You begin to feel you’re dictating things rather than reacting to them. Sadly, I’ve had very little opportunity to grab the bull by the
Read more

Windfall

-
You get a £500 bonus at work — how do you spend it? The big decision for half of my colleagues appears to have been XBox 360 or Playstation 3? Myself, I’ve opted for a front bumper respray. Of course, as soon as I said as much, I was told, quite earnestly, that I really need to stop thinking about cars so much. Hehe. Well, it made me laugh anyway. :) Yes, I might well be chucking money away — I doubt the work will add the equivalent value to the car come the day I sell it — but it won’t half improve my enjoyment of the car. As it stands, the polka-dot affair I’ve got at the moment (courtesy of Bill Heaney’s crap finishing) makes my heart sink every time I approach the thing. In just a week’s time, I’m going to be smiling again instead. It’s been at least 6 months since that last happened (the lack of blogging here in that time is no coincidence) and maybe it’ll reinvigorate me full-stop. Dammit, I love driving too much to feel depressed about my car. Roll on the good times. Oh, a
Read more