Somebody posted this on the other site, thought I’d link to
The age of average by Alex Murrell https://www.alexmurrell.co.uk/articles/the-age-of-average
You must log in or register to comment.
Idk… the bottom is easier on the eyes personally. I get what you’re saying though… little real variety and they all try to just be a slightly different tone…
Lead paint. The only way to get these vibrant colours that last a long time is by adding various Pb compounds.
In the late 80s an Early 90s, they started using other chemistries, which is why the vehicles from that period had such terrible fading and flaking.
They finally got it right in the 2010s, but by that time, people had settled on monochromatic or boring colours.
When you do see colours, they are usually Navy Blue, Jungle Green or Burgundy.
oh there’s an actual answer and it’s not just capitalism this time. That’s rare.
Capitalised Science bought us TetraEthyl Lead and all the colours of the Lead Paint rainbow. True Science made us aware that aerated heavy metal fumes and particulate paint chips were not the best for our brains.
TIL
If I ever buy a car, you can guarantee I’m getting it a dark purple colour if financially possible. The ultimate dream for me right now, as a someone who isn’t mechanically inclined, would be a dark purple gen 1 Chrysler Concorde. I don’t care if I’d stand out or be an easier target for breaking into because I want that dream to live.
Marketers were trying to capture the normally anti-consumerist young hippy market by appealing to their value of self-expression.
I gotta take issue with:
to properly accommodate the average American family’s collective weight of 78,000 lbs.
Hyperbole? The rest of the quote was sane. I think someone accidentally tacked a 0 on there.
Looked down a road yesterday and every parked car was white. I went another way.
My car’s battery is expected to last usefully ~20 years. Its paint won’t. Right now it’s dark blue. Some time in the future, maybe yellow.
Just bought a used car specifically just cause it was a bright orange box. It was priced low because it was a bright orange box with a stick transmission and nobody wanted it.
I love it.
But my last vehicle was a generic silver SUV. Hated it but when I fell upon hard times and had to live in it I was quite happy that I looked like every other car on the road. Best not to draw attention to yourself if you need to sleep in a parking lot or on the side of the road in a residential area.
I’m working on restoring a car so I have the original color sheet. So many more options 56 years ago. Today you get like 5-6 options and half cost quite a bit more.
I am sad about the lack of fun colors. I used to own two orange cars (a subaru crosstrek and a lotus elise), but now I’m stuck in a boring white truck.
Article goes into the broader behavioral picture, but the reason dealers stock mostly black, white and gray cars is that in practice more customers who come in looking for a specific color will settle for black, white or gray if they get a “good deal”, but will walk away from more distinct colors.
Because it was and is cheaper than using bright colors.
It is not a choice of the consumers.
It is a choice of consumers. If it is cheaper to make boring colors, and consumers actually care enough about color to pay extra for it, then manufacturers would sell more brightly colored cars.
But they don’t. A car buyer goes to the lot and says “I want a car like x, y, z, and I want it to be bright red!” The dealer doesn’t have red, because most people don’t want red, so they say “okay, we can have that car for you in two months. Or you can drive off the lot today in this black car for $X less.” The buyer realizes they don’t actually care that much, and buys the black car.
The buyer can always then go to a paint shop and change the color. But they probably won’t do this either, since, again, they don’t care that much. Sure, they’d like a red car - but then they’d be without it for a few days while the painting was done and it would cost a bunch of money.
Noticed this several years ago, but color is coming back, in America at least. Maybe it’s my perception fooling me, but I’m seeing more and more colors on the road, even bright colors. LOVE the latest gray-blue color, whatever it’s called. Dead sexy.
Here are your color choices.
We got rid of lead paint.
What y’all don’t like wet paint grey?! I’m thinking of painting my house wet paint grey.
Seems crazy to have a car these days that isn’t wet paint grey.
