Car color question (Tucson: for sale, house, buying)

[slsl6]

I'm thinking about moving to Tucson. Does car color really mater in terms of heat, deterioration of vehicle, and resale?

Thanks!

[WilmaWildcat]

Yes. White. You won't be sorry. If you're buying.

Dark cars can be like 350 F, while white cars will be under 200 F. Astronomers paint astronomical observatories white because white reflects the most heat. They experimented with silver, but turns out silver is basically gray and is hotter than white. They need a heat-wave free view.

And tinted windows to keep the sun out or you will be using a cardboard dashboard sun blocker all the time. The jokes here go like: "car comes with oven-mitt package." Only thing is it's not a joke; I use SPF 50 sports fingerless gloves to drive when I visit. Wish I had thought of it when I lived there.

P.S. I had a vintage 1970 convertible VW bug when I moved to Tucson from Virginia. While I was in Tucson for 15 years, I had to replace the top three times, and I used a whole-car cover. Gets expensive.

[yellowbelle]

These may help:

Car colors interior and exterior

I apologize if this is a RIDICULOUS question:

Silver and white cars are cooler, says study

[chaparrito]

Note that a white vehicle won't be cooler than a black one, it'll just be a bit less hot. You'll still fry your thighs and the palms of your hands if you let it sit in the sun for a few hours.

[Serenity1944]

Another tip: if you don't have a dashboard cover (usually carpet-like) get one, plus one of the silver type or other for your windshield. Many years ago I had a new car, did not bother covering the dash & windshield. Car was 4-5 yo when the dashboard and even the steering column had cracks in them. I have a 2003 Toyota pickup (white), bought it new from dealer, was outside in full sun in the parking lot at work for 5 yrs before I retired. Have had covered parking at home for about 10 years - truck still looks good. Now and then I find a note on my windshield - wanting to buy my truck. I don't have an alarm on my pickup, use a break lock.

[Bummer]

Being somewhat of a Vehicle Nut I am convinced Common Sense and Maintenance are much more important than the actual color of a vehicle. Personally, my avoidance of Black Vehicles has nothing to do with the interior temperature as much as the frequent "dusty" appearance.

Any type and/or color vehicle sitting in the direct sunlight will be HOT inside and the paint as well as the interior will begin to show "wear and tear" in no time. Frequent "baths" and detailing will definitely help but nothing beats inside or at least covered parking whenever and wherever possible. Even most parking lots have a few shady spots available even if it does require a little searching and possibly a few extra steps.

In the long haul, regardless of interior or exterior color, a vehicle will look better and maintain its value much better / longer with a little care and common sense.

[Pink Jazz]

As for resale vale, note that pretty much anywhere the color with the lowest resale value is green.

[Marcy1210]

Another thing--don't get leather seats. You will be sorry if you sit on hot leather seats wearing shorts. Same with a hard plastic steering wheel. They can get too hot to hold on to.

[WilmaWildcat]

I luv GREEN. More green cars, cheaper, for me!!

[yellowbelle]

Originally Posted by Pink Jazz

As for resale vale, note that pretty much anywhere the color with the lowest resale value is green.

Source?

Conventional wisdom tells us best resale is in the most common colors due to a broader pool of potential buyers (much like people paint their house neutral colors before putting up for sale). But the only study I found was this one, which I find a little hard to believe to be honest:

Study: The best, worst car colors by resale value - Story | abcactionnews.com | Tampa Bay News, Weather, Sports, Things To Do | WFTS-TV