2017 M2 Manual

[dan]

I just ran an errand and yeah, I’d say it was around 85% black/white/silver/beige/brown, 10% muted burgundy, 3% muted navy blue, and 2% brighter reds and blues.

Long Beach Blue it is

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by dan

I just ran an errand and yeah, I’d say it was around 85% black/white/silver/beige/brown, 10% muted burgundy, 3% muted navy blue, and 2% brighter reds and blues.

Long Beach Blue it is

It’s not as wonderful as Estoril, but it will do!

BTW, as I was measuring my two cars and my new, somewhat tight garage, I realized why I’m so comfortable in the Mazda CX-5. Other than being taller, it has almost the same dimensions as my 2 series. I think the only dimension that’s different other than height is the 2 is a tad wider...like 5 inches or something.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by Nick M3

Toyota's Mexico Blue ripoff color seems to be quite popular? I see a decent number of cars in perfectly satisfactory reds, too.

You see those colors, they stand out, and you remember them. That does not make for "popular" or a "decent number." But, they are a tiny percentage of all the cars you see.

It's like seeing the single rock chip in the paint of your car that catches your eye ALL. THE. TIME. All the other square centimeters of painted surface area on your car are flawless, but that one...that's the one that you see. No one else sees it unless you point it out (and half the time, people probably humor you by finally saying, "Oh, okay, yeah, I see it."

Attached is a screenshot from Google Maps of Disney's Hollywood Studios lot. There are 1400ish spaces in this image and it's nearly filled (each column is two stacks of 50 and lets call it 25 empty spots). I count three yellow cars (1 a Jeep and 1 might be kind of pale as opposed to yellow-yellow), maybe up to six "satisfactory" blues, and 11 "satisfactory" reds (one of which may be orange. What's "satisfactory" is a gray area, and I wouldn't argue with doubling the blue and red numbers if you have a different count. I'll also allow for another dozen vehicles with cargo boxes or stuff on their roofs that are hiding colorful colors. Plus, I think i see one pink car.

So, that's what? Almost 50 cars in color and 1325 on the boring and blending in spectrum. That's...about 3%?

Compare to the other photos of a DC parking lot (one in the 1970s and one in the 1980s) where the Ronald Reagan Building now stands.

I mean, I get that people like colors that blend in. But BMW M seems to specialize in unappealing loud colors. It's the worst of all worlds.

I don't think they would be making them in those colors if people didn't want them.

My wife's theory why people buy these stupid bland boring colors now compared to back then...air conditioning.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

It’s not as wonderful as Estoril, but it will do!

Ditto! Best choice available.

BTW, as I was measuring my two cars and my new, somewhat tight garage, I realized why I’m so comfortable in the Mazda CX-5. Other than being taller, it has almost the same dimensions as my 2 series. I think the only dimension that’s different other than height is the 2 is a tad wider...like 5 inches or something.

In a garage less than 22 feet wide, every saved inch makes a difference.

FWIW, the Camaro is 7" longer and 2" wider than the RAV4. On the outside.

[JST]

Originally Posted by clyde

My wife's theory why people buy these stupid bland boring colors now compared to back then...air conditioning.

Why air conditioning? I'm missing the connection.

Here's an article that makes a stab at it. https://blog.consumerguide.com/boring-car-colors/.

The suggestion is that it's a combination of improved analysis of market data/turnover by dealers and a lack of patience with special orders. That latter part may be right given the way that car companies (other than, say, Porsche) have driven toward a limited number of option packages, making it relatively easy to find a car optioned the way you want. If the only thing you don't like is the color, are you going to wait? Especially if the dealer is discounting the one on the lot now?

Plus, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as your friends and neighbors buy bland cars you start to perceive those as the "right" colors.

I think there's also a piece of this that has to do with how much longer cars last these days. A vibrant green, e.g., may be fashionable this year but if you're thinking about keeping the car 5-10 years, who knows how it will look in the future? Silver/white/black are safer. In the old days you didn't worry so much about this because the car would rust into dust in a couple of years.

Finally, I think this trend is bigger than just cars. Look at home appliances, which also used to be very colorful and now are just...white, silver, or black. Even ecru/cream doesn't really exist anymore.

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by clyde

Ditto! Best choice available.



In a garage less than 22 feet wide, every saved inch makes a difference.

FWIW, the Camaro is 7" longer and 2" wider than the RAV4. On the outside.

Woof.

My new garage is a former carport. 19’3” wide and 18’10 deep. Not great. My current garage, even with a water heater in it, is a comparative Taj Mahal.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by JST

Why air conditioning? I'm missing the connection.

So was I. So I got a 15 minute explanation that "a/c wasn't common until the early 90s and once it was, people were more comfortable with dark cars."

Here's an article that makes a stab at it. https://blog.consumerguide.com/boring-car-colors/.

The suggestion is that it's a combination of improved analysis of market data/turnover by dealers and a lack of patience with special orders. That latter part may be right given the way that car companies (other than, say, Porsche) have driven toward a limited number of option packages, making it relatively easy to find a car optioned the way you want. If the only thing you don't like is the color, are you going to wait? Especially if the dealer is discounting the one on the lot now?

That article mirrors just about all the similar ones I've read over the years, although I'm not sure that some dealers are as good at ordering as they think they are. During my Camaro hunt, I learned that I could just skip over new listings of new ones at specific dealers because this one added show stopper options to every 1LE and those dealers never included PDR. I'm probably an atypical car buyer, but 1LEs with PDR and nothing else seems to be the most desirable option combo among the 1LE Camaro buying community. As generalizations, they always sold fastest new and were/are in the highest demand on the secondary market.

Plus, this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, as your friends and neighbors buy bland cars you start to perceive those as the "right" colors.

I think there's also a piece of this that has to do with how much longer cars last these days. A vibrant green, e.g., may be fashionable this year but if you're thinking about keeping the car 5-10 years, who knows how it will look in the future? Silver/white/black are safer. In the old days you didn't worry so much about this because the car would rust into dust in a couple of years.

Finally, I think this trend is bigger than just cars. Look at home appliances, which also used to be very colorful and now are just...white, silver, or black. Even ecru/cream doesn't really exist anymore.

The fashion/reliable angle makes some sense.

[clyde]

Originally Posted by wdc330i

Woof.

My new garage is a former carport. 19’3” wide and 18’10 deep. Not great. My current garage, even with a water heater in it, is a comparative Taj Mahal.

Yeah, that's pretty small for a two car. My garage is only 19'0" wide, so I can relate. (Although at 27'2" deep, I can fit a lot of stuff in the garage in addition to the cars.)

[wdc330i]

Originally Posted by clyde

Yeah, that's pretty small for a two car. My garage is only 19'0" wide, so I can relate. (Although at 27'2" deep, I can fit a lot of stuff in the garage in addition to the cars.)

That depth is great. Wish I had that.

Currently, I have storage against the back wall to the house and overhead on the sides. (I think I’m at 22x21 currently.). Not sure I can do that with the new house. Will only have 3’10 inches clearance between the back wall to the house and the garage door with the cars in there. Probably less. Both cars are 15 feet long.

I have no pantry either in the kitchen, so may end up parking the Mazda in the driveway. Less than ideal in hail country.

[ZBB]

Originally Posted by clyde

So was I. So I got a 15 minute explanation that "a/c wasn't common until the early 90s and once it was, people were more comfortable with dark cars."

AC was pretty widely avail by the late 60s. My ‘65 Landcruiser even had an aftermarket unit installed (put in by the original owner when the truck was new)

Thinking back to the cars my parents drove in the 70s, the only one built that decade that didn’t have AC was the VW Squareback my dad drove. But he also has an early 70s Blazer that did have AC.