Iconic colours and vandalism?
Discussion
The iconic car colours and Iso Grifo thread have brightened my Saturday morning.
The iconic car colours predictably had me looking on car advertising websites for a certain model in a colour I really like.
While I was in the kitchen a yellow, real or pretend Dino 206/246 went along the road. I assume it's Giallo Fly.
Having had at least three cars vandalised over many years, one was one was retro before retro was a thing and a I guess a modern classic or 'young timer' now I was doing jobs on with a view to getting it through an MoT.
Are cars that may stick out more due to their shade, and or metallic or pearlescent paints more prone to attracting vandalism like key scratching?
I didn't want to take the iconic car colour thread off thread, hence this post.
The iconic car colours predictably had me looking on car advertising websites for a certain model in a colour I really like.
While I was in the kitchen a yellow, real or pretend Dino 206/246 went along the road. I assume it's Giallo Fly.
Having had at least three cars vandalised over many years, one was one was retro before retro was a thing and a I guess a modern classic or 'young timer' now I was doing jobs on with a view to getting it through an MoT.
Are cars that may stick out more due to their shade, and or metallic or pearlescent paints more prone to attracting vandalism like key scratching?
I didn't want to take the iconic car colour thread off thread, hence this post.
I think the risk of vandalism is linked to the low intelligence of the vandal combined with misplaced envy.
The car that I have owned which attracted the most unwelcome attention from such people was a red RX8. Far more than the Alfa156 before it or the Mustang after, all parked on the same road .
Also more than far more expensive cars parked in the same road at the same time - a near neughbour had some variety of recent Porsche 911 which was probably worth 25x my RX8 but escaped attack.
The car that I have owned which attracted the most unwelcome attention from such people was a red RX8. Far more than the Alfa156 before it or the Mustang after, all parked on the same road .
Also more than far more expensive cars parked in the same road at the same time - a near neughbour had some variety of recent Porsche 911 which was probably worth 25x my RX8 but escaped attack.
If a car stands out for whatever reason that is, it's potentially a target for these knuckle draggers.
So that could be a loud colour or addition of decals, could even be the badge which someone thinks is, 'a bit fancy'.
For a daily car, I think to some extent the more subdued the better as sad as that is.
So that could be a loud colour or addition of decals, could even be the badge which someone thinks is, 'a bit fancy'.
For a daily car, I think to some extent the more subdued the better as sad as that is.
Wife had a body colour door mirror cover stolen from her blue Focus ST when it was parked at a station last year. I bought a replacement but also bought two cheap black covers and fitted those for while she was still commuting.
A few weeks later one of those was stolen as well!
I replaced it, but then set about both black covers with a screwdriver - few nice big gouges in them, and I carved the car’s registration number into them.
They’re still in place.
A few weeks later one of those was stolen as well!
I replaced it, but then set about both black covers with a screwdriver - few nice big gouges in them, and I carved the car’s registration number into them.
They’re still in place.
My father died of Cancer when I was 3 years old and he was 36. My mum had replaced a Metro Moritz special edition with a very basic pre-registered Fiesta Popular as the Metro had been unreliable and she needed a car she could rely on to take my father to and from chemotherapy at The Christie Hospital in Manchester.
When he died, she used some of the life insurance pay out to buy a Matisse Blue Ford Fiesta LX. It was like the one this guy is doing up and featuring in his YouTube videos. https://www.youtube.com/@FF04ORD/videos
It was only a humble Fiesta, but it was when the Mk3 was new and she also collected it on 4th August 1989 when the G registration had just been launched, so it was an obviously new car in an eye catching colour. She'd had it for three days when she came back to it on the shopping centre car park in the town centre and someone had put a deep key scratch across the bonnet.
What made it especially bad was that someone vandalised the car out of jealousy thinking she had something they didn't but she'd lost a lot to be in a position to buy that car.
A car doesn't have to be anything fancy to attract vandals but a colour that makes it stand out can make it a target amongst other factors.
When he died, she used some of the life insurance pay out to buy a Matisse Blue Ford Fiesta LX. It was like the one this guy is doing up and featuring in his YouTube videos. https://www.youtube.com/@FF04ORD/videos
It was only a humble Fiesta, but it was when the Mk3 was new and she also collected it on 4th August 1989 when the G registration had just been launched, so it was an obviously new car in an eye catching colour. She'd had it for three days when she came back to it on the shopping centre car park in the town centre and someone had put a deep key scratch across the bonnet.
What made it especially bad was that someone vandalised the car out of jealousy thinking she had something they didn't but she'd lost a lot to be in a position to buy that car.
A car doesn't have to be anything fancy to attract vandals but a colour that makes it stand out can make it a target amongst other factors.
I worked in accident repair for 15 years before making the switch to restoration. I repaired many vandalised vehicles during that time, from keyed to kicked in panels etc. The reason behind the vandalism was more to do with individuals having a grievances with the owner rather than the colour or type of vehicle. Not saying that’s the cause in your situation OP.
Blakewater said:
What made it especially bad was that someone vandalised the car out of jealousy thinking she had something they didn't but she'd lost a lot to be in a position to buy that car.
A car doesn't have to be anything fancy to attract vandals but a colour that makes it stand out can make it a target amongst other factors.
That's saddening. Some of it would seem to be about the assumptions of the perpetrator. People don't consider the impact of their conduct on others. A car doesn't have to be anything fancy to attract vandals but a colour that makes it stand out can make it a target amongst other factors.
Spudgunassassin said:
I worked in accident repair for 15 years before making the switch to restoration. I repaired many vandalised vehicles during that time, from keyed to kicked in panels etc. The reason behind the vandalism was more to do with individuals having a grievances with the owner rather than the colour or type of vehicle. Not saying that’s the cause in your situation OP.
I'd agree. Two of the incidences may've been about parking, the car I was fixing up to get through an MoT was in front of the house, not on the road, but it seems visitors to neighbours had become used to parking there and/or there was a grievance. The first was overnight in a place that's public and has room for a dozen cars. That and the other car could've been deemed a bit flash, the 'retro' wasn't particularly flash and just a rare model of a what may've been a prestigious brand but is now commonplace.My post was prompted as the iconic colours article had me searching a specific model using 'pearlescent' as a search term. I like the colour and it reminds me of the colour a grandfather had on his car. The search didn't reveal any in the specific shade I was looking for, but did reveal a much more in your face pearlescent. The shade I was looking is less obvious and you'd have to be in the know to realise it was something slightly rare.
Speed addicted said:
The only cars I’ve ever had vandalised were BMWs, one black and one silver. Not sure colour matters as much as badge to the key wielding scum.
I’ve only ever had one car vandalised and it too was a BMW, a 1992 325i that was at the time 16 years old, right at the bottom of its inverse bell-curve value.Fortunately the vandals were grade A morons and they “defaced” it by throwing black paint at it… it was already black.
It wasn’t a targeted act of vandalism as about 10 cars on the street received similar treatment. I’m glad my car wasn’t the recipient of the red paint used further down the road.
The thicko that is drawn to vandalising a stationary car that stands out is the same thicko who is less likely to drive into that same car on the open road because it stands out.
Thickos give with one hand and take with the other. They know not what they do. And you just can't win by trying to preplan for thickos so just to just run the risk of one of them encroaching into your life and get the car colour that you want.
Just don't get a yellow car and park it in Bibury.
Thickos give with one hand and take with the other. They know not what they do. And you just can't win by trying to preplan for thickos so just to just run the risk of one of them encroaching into your life and get the car colour that you want.
Just don't get a yellow car and park it in Bibury.
paradigital said:
Speed addicted said:
The only cars I’ve ever had vandalised were BMWs, one black and one silver. Not sure colour matters as much as badge to the key wielding scum.
I’ve only ever had one car vandalised and it too was a BMW, a 1992 325i that was at the time 16 years old, right at the bottom of its inverse bell-curve value. I used to live on a short dead end terraced street in Gateshead, with a footpath and cycle link at the end, 3 pubs at the other.
Occasionally you’d get the local, pale, fart stained radgies who would go on a wing mirror kicking spree. Luckily the first time t hi is happened to me, I polished out the sole mark off the mirror. Since then, I’ve folded the mirrors on our cars to make them less of a target.
The other obvious cause of vandalism is caused when on half of a couple discovers that the other has been up to no good. The word “b’stard” or similar makes this a giveaway. Happened across the road.
Occasionally you’d get the local, pale, fart stained radgies who would go on a wing mirror kicking spree. Luckily the first time t hi is happened to me, I polished out the sole mark off the mirror. Since then, I’ve folded the mirrors on our cars to make them less of a target.
The other obvious cause of vandalism is caused when on half of a couple discovers that the other has been up to no good. The word “b’stard” or similar makes this a giveaway. Happened across the road.
carinaman said:
One of the cars we've had vandalised was a 3 series in a well known shade for that iteration. It had alloys when alloy wheels were something special and a front air dam and boot lid spoiler.
So I guess it stood out a little. But in 2007-2008, did an early E36 stand out, or just look old?
One way or another, I've had loads of vehicles vandalised. The only common thread would be town centres and people...
A local druggy gang attacked my custom bike in my town centre front garden.
My Reliant was turned over late one Christmas Eve whilst parked in the town centre car park.
Someone keyed every panel on my (well scruffy) 2CV, whilst it was parked in a different town centre car park.
My Porsche (all six hundred quid's worth!) was keyed outside my house.
Someone cut the hood open on my Vitesse whilst it was parked outside my house... and on, and on...
Without a doubt, so much comes down to location (I lived on a main pedestrian thoroughfare from the town centre to the outlying estates - no public transport after closing time, surprise, surprise.), some were drunks (late night, Christmas, weekends), some were on a spree (something like thirty cars were attacked one night along our street) and some were knobbers trying to show they were hard... yawn. I don't believe any were due to careful consideration of the vehicle, the colour and what that said about the owner's social standing or financial situation... except, maybe, the black over yellow Panther that some knob threw a bottle at as I was slowly crawling along in commuter time traffic...
A local druggy gang attacked my custom bike in my town centre front garden.
My Reliant was turned over late one Christmas Eve whilst parked in the town centre car park.
Someone keyed every panel on my (well scruffy) 2CV, whilst it was parked in a different town centre car park.
My Porsche (all six hundred quid's worth!) was keyed outside my house.
Someone cut the hood open on my Vitesse whilst it was parked outside my house... and on, and on...
Without a doubt, so much comes down to location (I lived on a main pedestrian thoroughfare from the town centre to the outlying estates - no public transport after closing time, surprise, surprise.), some were drunks (late night, Christmas, weekends), some were on a spree (something like thirty cars were attacked one night along our street) and some were knobbers trying to show they were hard... yawn. I don't believe any were due to careful consideration of the vehicle, the colour and what that said about the owner's social standing or financial situation... except, maybe, the black over yellow Panther that some knob threw a bottle at as I was slowly crawling along in commuter time traffic...
paradigital said:
carinaman said:
One of the cars we've had vandalised was a 3 series in a well known shade for that iteration. It had alloys when alloy wheels were something special and a front air dam and boot lid spoiler.
So I guess it stood out a little. But in 2007-2008, did an early E36 stand out, or just look old?Your E36 looks lovely.
There was an E46 M3 Convertible along the road and it took me a while to remember what colour it is.
I used to live on a short dead end terraced street in Gateshead, with a footpath and cycle link at the end, 3 pubs at the other.
Occasionally you’d get the local, pale, fart stained radgies who would go on a wing mirror kicking spree. Luckily the first time t hi is happened to me, I polished out the sole mark off the mirror. Since then, I’ve folded the mirrors on our cars to make them less of a target.
The other obvious cause of vandalism is caused when on half of a couple discovers that the other has been up to no good. The word “b’stard” or similar makes this a giveaway. Happened across the road.
Occasionally you’d get the local, pale, fart stained radgies who would go on a wing mirror kicking spree. Luckily the first time t hi is happened to me, I polished out the sole mark off the mirror. Since then, I’ve folded the mirrors on our cars to make them less of a target.
The other obvious cause of vandalism is caused when on half of a couple discovers that the other has been up to no good. The word “b’stard” or similar makes this a giveaway. Happened across the road.
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