To wonder when all the cars on our roads turned monochrome?!

[GinDaddyRedux]

I was recently flamed by some colleagues for considering buying a red car. I was told "you won't get let out at junctions", "people will automatically think you're having a mid-life crisis", "you'll get gobbed on by passers-by" etc ...

It got me thinking - when did we drain the colour out of car choices? Is this an envy thing, a "tall poppy" cut-down?

For reference yes, it is a 4-seater sports coupe, but there aren't many of the type I want to buy, and especially fewer with a manual gearbox. The one I found is in post-box colour red.

My point is, literally every single person in that group chat, male and female, has a monochrome car. Three "gunmetal grey", two black, one white.

My neighbours all to a fault seem to have grey or black. One has a blue people carrier and I love them for it, it's so good to see some actual colour on the street.

Yes this is trivial, yes I'm sure someone will be along to tell me about their yellow Cinquecento they once owned, or their current forest green Discovery or whatever. If so, you're of my thinking and this post is not to you.

I'm just curious - is it a PCP thing, as in, if you have to hand it back, does resale count in terms of having business grey colours?

I go to supermarket car parks in my bright blue estate car and I notice the stares, it's quite amusing - its as if people take umbrage to the existence of the thing. Everywhere else? Is a sea of grey, silver, black, more black, and a few white Kias or whatever was in vogue a few years back.

AIBU to wonder why people don't buy colourful cars any more? Would you automatically think "knob" if you saw a person in a red coupe?

I'm in the market for a new car at the moment. There have only been a few that have been in a colour, as opposed to black, white or grey/silver. I'm after a strong blue or red. By chance really I've only had either blue or red until my current car which is dark grey and was sold by a friend at a time I was desperate for anything that wouldn't keep breaking down on the dual carriageway. I'm struggling to decide now on the model I'd like as the colours don't do anything for me!

@ellenpartridge

I wanted to get a shiny turquoise type colour for my previous car and my friends all said it was awful so I got the dark blue instead. We currently have "capuccino beige" because we got it nearly new so that was just the colour and we weren't going to change it. Now that I think about it most of my neighbours are dark grey or black

What a shame. Shiny turquoise sounds lovely!

My current car is a metallic red, which has held its colour well and doesn't look sad and faded like a lot of red cars can.

I got that colour though, because I bought it second hand and it was the colour that happened to be available in the car I wanted.

I've never been particularly fussed about car colour tbh but would be very reluctant to have a white car, I really don't like the look of them, and they're absolutely everywhere.

Something I have noticed a lot - especially when I look down the road of near identical dark grey vehicles to wonder where I parked ours last.

What OP, people are staring at you because you've got a car that's not monochrome.

Okaaaaay.

We have got a smoky grey metallic car. We really liked the colour when we bought it but unfortunately we didn't realise it came with a cloaking device that automatically works at roundabouts.

I have gone with grey as I live in a town with heavy industry and it is easier to keep/ look clean!

I have gone with grey as I live in a town with heavy industry and it is easier to keep/ look clean!

My street must be unusual. Just checked out of the window and we have one white, one dark grey, one silver, six blue and three red cars on our end of the road!

Our street is full of colourful cars - but the more expensive vehicles tend to be black or white. My street has a lot of houses with 3 - 5 cars each, there's usually one or two fancy (probably company) cars, and then colourful Audis/BMWs/Astras/VWs etc.

My school car park (staff parking) has not one but TWO lime green Mazda's, a gold car, several red ones, and a few blue. The other half remaining is neutrals though and mine is white and black. I wanted to blue the ludicrous orange model but when I got there it was sold out and I didn't want to wait a month.

I'm a monochomre fan myself. Always think cars look sleeker and more attractive in black and white/grey.
I'm not a fan of bright blue or red- makes them look a bit tacky in my opinion. I saw a hideous brown car this morning, it was like a diarrhoea colour- SO gross.

Yep, black car on PCP here. I like it but it does tend to show the dirt. Suppose a white car does too.

Our car goes back soon so we've been looking for a new one on Autotrader. Looking for a very common car (think Corsa) and found over 500 in a 20 mile radius when we searched. Could count on one hand cars in a colour other than monochrome!!

This has prompted me to look out the window and survey the neighbours cars. I can see 2 red, 2 orange, 3 blue, 3 black, 1 grey and 1 silver.

It's not something I've really noticed before but will look out for now. Ours are the silver and grey ones, both second hand so the only colour available because the specific car was more the choice than the colour. The last car I had new I chose a blue one. We must live on an unusually colourful street.

@AlexisCarringtonColbyDexter yes - always wonder who buys cars in “poo brown” 🤣

Oh, to own one’s own car. daydreams
FWIW, I would have a green one.

Would you automatically think "knob" if you saw a person in a red coupe?
Well....not automatically.

I have a civic type r gt in grey pearl, its beautiful. I see lots of colourful cars around and I’ve never heard of someone letting/not letting another road user out based on car colour.

I know a fella who owns a car dealership. He says that the only colour they ever sell is silver/grey and black. They might also sell a white car everyone in a while. He said in particularly they find it hard to resell colour cars. He gave a friend of mine a great deal on a yellow/gold car a year ago. He would not have given her the deal if it was a silver car. The car he drives himself is a fab shade of blue.

@ellenpartridge I think shiny turquoise sounds nice!

yes - always wonder who buys cars in “poo brown

I know right? its never flattering!

When we got our car I was adamant I wanted grey silver or black. Is ex showroom so when it came to it, the colour it was available in is quite bright blue. I absolute hated the thought initially but I came round and now I love it - and having realised at this point that so many cars were neutral colours it's a heck of a lot easier to spot in the car park!

Mines dayglo yellow. - I can find it in the car park easily!

At least silver is no longer the default. Blech.

My last car was bright yellow and I loved it. Current car is sliver and it's boring.