Black or red?

[tonymac1]

Well, went into this dilemma of getting a Melbourne red E92 or a Jet Black one. i like both colors, but I was told the red is hard to keep it clean , or doesn't look that good at nights. Jet black is cool, and in my opinion very low key.
Please give me some advice on either cleaning, maintaining or further durablity , or personal preferences of those two colors. Thanks!

[Gkap]

This decision can only be made by you.
Black is the hardest colour to keep clean I know from personal experience.

[xquisit]

I had a Jet Black 330i (e90), and it looked great when it was clean. I believe on the JB it shows swirl marks (spider web) on the car much more than the MR would. Furthermore, I would believe the MR would look more nice than the JB if they were dirty.

tl;dr:
JB = you have to work to keep it looking "clean"

EDIT: Didn't see Gkap's response, but he's right... it's your choice! Me personally, I want AW next! Non-metallic colors are more appealing to me on bimmers for some reason, maybe it's the flat look of the color.

[tonymac1]

Originally Posted by Gkap

This decision can only be made by you.
Black is the hardest colour to keep clean I know from personal experience.

Thanks!

[tonymac1]

Originally Posted by xquisit

I had a Jet Black 330i (e90), and it looked great when it was clean. I believe on the JB it shows swirl marks (spider web) on the car much more than the MR would. Furthermore, I would believe the MR would look more nice than the JB if they were dirty.

tl;dr:
JB = you have to work to keep it looking "clean"

EDIT: Didn't see Gkap's response, but he's right... it's your choice! Me personally, I want AW next! Non-metallic colors are more appealing to me on bimmers for some reason, maybe it's the flat look of the color.

Thanks, i was told once that melbourne red looks kinda girly,but i think it's a pretty nice color for a M3, especially with some further mods.

[tonymac1]

Originally Posted by stingray23

Whoever told you that MR is hard to keep clean and doesnt look good at night, doesnt know shit. My M3 is MR( the ONLY color for me) and looks amazing in all light conditions. Its very easy to keep clean, especially when compared to the most PITA color(black) to keep looking good. Color is a personal thing. You really cant ask for opinions, you have to be happy and thats all that matters.

Totally agreed. i am personally into red more than jet black, i believe MR is really a great color for modding( CF lips ,spoiler, black rims) , and also, i'm too lazy to clean a jet black every day,LOL

[RayC]

Originally Posted by tonymac1

Thanks, i was told once that melbourne red looks kinda girly,but i think it's a pretty nice color for a M3, especially with some further mods.

Was the same person that told MR was 'girly' also the one that told you it was hard to maintain? Because if that's the case, I wouldn't listen to him/her anymore.

My last car was black and MR is 10x easier to maintain. What I love about MR is the different shades...the car looks a bit different during the day and night.

And lastly, the reason why I like MR is that it's not as common as JB or AW. Not everyone wants to stand out, but it's nice being somewhat exclusive. I recently took it to my local dealer and all the techs were saying they've never seen the M3 in MR before.

[tonymac1]

Originally Posted by RayC

Was the same person that told MR was 'girly' also the one that told you it was hard to maintain? Because if that's the case, I wouldn't listen to him/her anymore.

My last car was black and MR is 10x easier to maintain. What I love about MR is the different shades...the car looks a bit different during the day and night.

And lastly, the reason why I like MR is that it's not as common as JB or AW. Not everyone wants to stand out, but it's nice being somewhat exclusive. I recently took it to my local dealer and all the techs were saying they've never seen the M3 in MR before.

I think i might go for a MR , honestly im kinda lazy, then JB is obviously not for me,thanks for the advice !

[Legion5]

Originally Posted by tonymac1

Well, went into this dilemma of getting a Melbourne red E92 or a Jet Black one. i like both colors, but I was told the red is hard to keep it clean , or doesn't look that good at nights. Jet black is cool, and in my opinion very low key.
Please give me some advice on either cleaning, maintaining or further durablity , or personal preferences of those two colors. Thanks!

Wow all of that is the opposite of the truth.

First off let me start by saying that I've seen every color on the M3 in person after spending months researching every option, and I've spoken to more owners and dealership sales people thatn I can keep track of.

What I'm about to say may be difficult to gasp to non-artists but the M3 has a lot more form than most cars, meaning that it has many subtle bulges. The car looks downright boring in dark colors and amazing in lighter colors because only light colors will reveal the form of the car. Almost two thirds of BMW salespeople I've talked to will back up this point, and so will many owners, with the rest being neutral.

As for red looking poor at night and black looking good, the absolute opposite is the truth. I've had many very nice cars, and I've had unlimited access to plenty of supercars in my life. I used to only own black cars, and the single reason I stopped buying black cars is that even in a supercar, nobody would notice them at night. They simply blend in, and you might as well be driving a Civic. Black is by far the worst color for a car to be at night. On the other hand red is actually one of the best. If you know anything about street light spectrums you know red is a great color to be visible at night.

You then go on to mention that red is hard to keep clean, compared to black. Well like I said I started with only black cars and now have only red cars. Black is the absolute worst color to keep clean, while red actually is one of the easiest. The high saturation and brightness actually overpowers dirt and hides it better than any other colors except high metalic silvers and beiges.

In any case black is firmly one the worst in every way that you mentioned and red is one of the best. Not to mention people used to plow into my cars left and right to the point where it happened at least twice a year when I owned black cars, with red cars it's never happened.

Edited for Clarity

[tonymac1]

Originally Posted by Legion5

Wow all of that is the opposite of the truth.

First off let me start by saying that I've seen every color on the M3 in person after spending months researching every option, and I've spoken to more owners and dealership sales people thatn I can keep track of.

What I'm about to say may be difficult to gasp to non-artists but the M3 has a lot more form than most cars, meaning that it has many subtle bulges. The car looks downright boring in dark colors and amazing in lighter colors. Almost two thirds of BMW salespeople I've talked to will back up this point, and so will many owners.

As for red looking good at night and black looking good, the absolute opposite is the truth. I have many very nice cars, and I've had unlimited access to plenty of supercars in my life. I used to only own black cars, and the single reason I stopped buying black cars is that even in a supercar, nobody would notice them at night. They simply blend in, and you might as well be driving a civic. Black is by far the worst color for a car to be at night. On the other hand red is actually one of the best. If you know anything about street light spectrums you know red is a great color to be visible at night.

You then go on to mention that red is hard to keep clean, compared to black. Well like I said I started with only black cars and now have only red cars. Black is the absolute worst color to keep clean, while red actually is one of the easiest. The high saturation and brightness actually overpowers dirt and hides it better than any other colors except high metalic silvers and beiges.

In any case black is firmly one the worst in every way that you mentioned and red is one of the best. Not to mention people used to plow into my cars left and right to the point where it happened at least twice a year when I owned black cars, with red cars it's never happened.

First, thank you for all the info and advice! I really appreciate that.

Seems like most of you will suggest a MR rather than black. I think black is very low profile but somehow too common right now, especially for a M3. White and black i believe are the most common colors for E9x M3s. For the first time I loved a red car was seeing the M3 coupe at 2011 Geneva auto show, the car was equipped with carbon fiber front lip and rear spoiler, plus the carbon fiber roof, it looks fantastic with the color combo.

If it it way easier to keep a red car clean, i think i would definitely go for a MR one.

[theriz]

red

[Gkap]

Originally Posted by tonymac1

I think i might go for a MR , honestly im kinda lazy, then JB is obviously not for me,thanks for the advice !

good choice

With a couple mods MR can look fantastic

[AngelinIsRich08]

MR looks bland in my opinion. And on the blacks you can't really tell if it's an M3 unless you get kind of close. I'd go with space gray as it is the easiest to maintain and the lines stick out the best on it too.

[DiavelM3]

Originally Posted by Gkap

This decision can only be made by you.
Black is the hardest colour to keep clean I know from personal experience.

+1
Paper or plastic?

[half man half amazin]

red. Had two black cars before and will NEVER do it again for all the reasons stated in these posts and more! Looks sexy but shows zero body lines and ALL dirt, debris,scratches, and swirls. No thanks.

[saeedg48]

jet back on grey
red on black

[DiavelM3]

Originally Posted by stingray23

...........and the dullest of all the M colors

That might be true to some people?
I think its subtle, and not "in your face" or "look at me," of a color

[SchnellM3]

RED FTW

Heres what it can look like

[Eau Rouge]

Originally Posted by Legion5

Wow all of that is the opposite of the truth.

First off let me start by saying that I've seen every color on the M3 in person after spending months researching every option, and I've spoken to more owners and dealership sales people thatn I can keep track of.

What I'm about to say may be difficult to gasp to non-artists but the M3 has a lot more form than most cars, meaning that it has many subtle bulges. The car looks downright boring in dark colors and amazing in lighter colors because only light colors will reveal the form of the car. Almost two thirds of BMW salespeople I've talked to will back up this point, and so will many owners, with the rest being neutral.

As for red looking poor at night and black looking good, the absolute opposite is the truth. I've had many very nice cars, and I've had unlimited access to plenty of supercars in my life. I used to only own black cars, and the single reason I stopped buying black cars is that even in a supercar, nobody would notice them at night. They simply blend in, and you might as well be driving a Civic. Black is by far the worst color for a car to be at night. On the other hand red is actually one of the best. If you know anything about street light spectrums you know red is a great color to be visible at night.

You then go on to mention that red is hard to keep clean, compared to black. Well like I said I started with only black cars and now have only red cars. Black is the absolute worst color to keep clean, while red actually is one of the easiest. The high saturation and brightness actually overpowers dirt and hides it better than any other colors except high metalic silvers and beiges.

In any case black is firmly one the worst in every way that you mentioned and red is one of the best. Not to mention people used to plow into my cars left and right to the point where it happened at least twice a year when I owned black cars, with red cars it's never happened.

Edited for Clarity

^^^ Well said.



@ OP: Similar to your predicament, I've wrestled with the question of MR or Jerez Black for a long time. Jet Black, which is lovely to my eyes would not be my choice for a keeper given its non-metallic paint. Having cared for a black sapphire paint job for years, the metallic black has been plenty of work and I would not want to incur an increase in that regard which is virtually assured with the flat Jet Black which is even more swirl friendly than the metallic paints. So, for me it will be MR even though a little darker red would be OK (ideally, a metallicized Imola Red which is not offered AFAIK). As Legion noted, the lighter colors bring out the best of the M3's lines, and unlike some, I have not had negative blue light special experiences driving cars painted red.

However, follow your heart not your eyes (what you read) and ears and you will be satisfied with YOUR choice.

[tonymac1]

Originally Posted by SchnellM3

RED FTW

Heres what it can look like

I think MR is the best color for modding , looks full of passion,just like this one in the video, even better the AW.

[tonymac1]

Originally Posted by Eau Rouge

^^^ Well said.



@ OP: Similar to your predicament, I've wrestled with the question of MR or Jerez Black for a long time. Jet Black, which is lovely to my eyes would not be my choice for a keeper given its non-metallic paint. Having cared for a black sapphire paint job for years, the metallic black has been plenty of work and I would not want to incur an increase in that regard which is virtually assured with the flat Jet Black which is even more swirl friendly than the metallic paints. So, for me it will be MR even though a little darker red would be OK (ideally, a metallicized Imola Red which is not offered AFAIK). As Legion noted, the lighter colors bring out the best of the M3's lines, and unlike some, I have not had negative blue light special experiences driving cars painted red.

However, follow your heart not your eyes (what you read) and ears and you will be satisfied with YOUR choice.

Sure i will. i don't want to spend that much time taking care of the dirts and swirls every day, i guess MR is the one for me!

[Voltigeur]

-

Jerez looks spectacular at night if there's some light around, ie, not all blacks are 'black'. I'm OK w/ being unnoticed if not.

I would go MR > Jet.