Obsession with black

[bergclimber34]

Can anyone answer me this, particularly aimed at big SUV owners.

What on earth is the absolute obsession with making your car look like a drug kingpins.

Black gloss paint, black wheels, black calipers, black badges, illegal blacked out windows, grey number plates.

It makes you look utterly sheep like?

I know this is a thing in certain parts of "our" UK community, but you see it everywhere now, mainly on big SUV stuff, is it member measurement, trying to make your pointlessly over the top purchase look intimidating and big?

[Clad-Hach]

They want to be "Gangstas" or pretend to be.

[Wheel Turned Out]

Maybe they just like the way it looks. Shocking, I know.

I don't like it myself, but I don't see what the mystery is.

[Earthdweller]

I've had four black cars although two were company cars where colour wasn't a choice sadly and each time sworn never again

[_Rodders_]

Makes them look ard.

Black badges look so st. Audi seem to go in for it a lot. It looks like the dealer has given the work experience kid a can plastidip and told him to have fun.

[Pica-Pica]

Boringly, I prefer silver metallic. Takes a long time before it looks dirty.
White or black cars always look dirty more quickly, and both look 'down-market' nil-cost colours.

[TameRacingDriver]

I don't always go for black cars, but this time I couldn't resist as it looks like a tiny batmobile I don't think I'll be mistaken for a drug dealer though

[Muddle238]

Black-on-black-on-black with blacked out badges. The chariot of choice for the amoeba without imagination.

[Smint]

Pica-Pica said:

Boringly, I prefer silver metallic. Takes a long time before it looks dirty.
White or black cars always look dirty more quickly, and both look 'down-market' nil-cost colours.

Same here, 21 year old silver Prado recently sold still looked well under 5 years old (had to get the wheels refurbed) and had to be really filthy to not look well, so same colour again on our new Prius.
Don't like pure black wheels so really not happy with the OE black plastic wheel trims over black alloys on our lower spec model, but given the likely expensive issues regarding TPMS if we buy aftermarket alloys decided to leave that decision until new tyres are required, had we gone for the higher spec with much nicer wheels then luxury car tax is triggered, not playing the high ved game any more.

Black is such a high maintenance colour, granted if not gangsta'd too much black can look really good clean and polished but looks naff sometimes hours later.

[natterjak]

Clad-Hach said:

They want to be "Gangstas" or pretend to be.

I agree. Same effect that leads middle class, middle aged IT consultants to decide a noisy Harley Davidson is a must have life accessory to prop up their faltering body image.

[Mad Maximus]

Image and safety (most people don’t like to be different)

[Huzzah]

Currently I like bright blue, green or yellow.

It'll probably change if they become fashionable.

[hungry_hog]

I had a black 996C4s back in the day and was a nightmare to keep clean

My neighbour used to say - "your car is supposed to be black not yellow". In spring it would attract a film of pollen one day after cleaning.
Also had a black interior which was like an oven 3/4 months of the year.

Never again!

I did notice the youths at local David Lloyd would favour black cars - black M3 / M3, 911, C63 etc. And as mentioned by another posted, black badges and wheels as well.
All very gangster until they open their mouths and discuss which ski resort they are going to!

[Crumpet]

As someone who’s had four black cars with black wheels - two with ‘privacy’ glass - I can confirm that it’s an easy marker for the general public to easily identify the driver as being a .

(I hate black cars with a passion, but it’s actually more a case of overlooking the colour when trying to find a decent car as a second hand buyer. And they’re also easy to sell on. Never again, though.)

[Dave Hedgehog]

had no choice, it was the only colour on discount

[njw1]

Wheel Turned Out said:

Maybe they just like the way it looks. Shocking, I know.

I don't like it myself, but I don't see what the mystery is.

Agree, I always find it quite funny how offended some people seem to be by the choices of others when those choices have no affect on them apart from they don't like it. Live and let live I say.

I wonder many stereotypes/cliches are going to get wheeled out in this thread, we've had a few already....

[cerb4.5lee]

Our last 3 SUV's have all been black as well...

My Caterham is red though, and the M4 is blue, so I'm not against a bit of colour in fairness generally. But black suits SUV's in my eyes though(I'm not a huge fan of black wheels though to be fair).

[natterjak]

hungry_hog said:

I had a black 996C4s back in the day and was a nightmare to keep clean

I’m always surprised how popular black cars and also white ones are, exactly for this reason. The two colours which are the biggest pain to keep presentable looking seem to be the most common on the roads.

[cerb4.5lee]

natterjak said:

hungry_hog said:

I had a black 996C4s back in the day and was a nightmare to keep clean

I m always surprised how popular black cars and also white ones are, exactly for this reason. The two colours which are the biggest pain to keep presentable looking seem to be the most common on the roads.

White is a doddle to keep clean in my experience, and even when dirty I don't think they look too bad. Black is a total nightmare though, and it annoys me really, because black is one of my favourite colours for a car for example.

[Pica-Pica]

Huzzah said:

Currently I like bright blue, green or yellow.

It'll probably change if they become fashionable.

Did you live in Bilbury?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestersh...