Is it bad to have a black car in Phoenix? (to buy, price)

[R3ady4aChang3]

I am moving to Phoenix in 5 weeks and planning to buy a new are now...

First choice is black and second is white? How bad is a black car in the heat and dust??? Would it be much worse than white?

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by R3ady4aChang3

I am moving to Phoenix in 5 weeks and planning to buy a new are now...

First choice is black and second is white? How bad is a black car in the heat and dust??? Would it be much worse than white?

I've had black ones and white ones. As far as the heat goes, I never really noticed much difference. But the dust, oh my! A black car here looks clean for a day if you are lucky. A white car can go for months without a wash and still look sharp. I've always been amazed how dirty a white car can get before it shows. Seems counter-intuitive.

[Bummer]

Originally Posted by R3ady4aChang3

I am moving to Phoenix in 5 weeks and planning to buy a new are now...

First choice is black and second is white? How bad is a black car in the heat and dust??? Would it be much worse than white?

I agree with Ponderosa on this one, R3ady . . .

It's not the heat nearly as much as the dust. Give a black vehicle a bath and watch it get dusty before the driveway dries but they sure look sharp.

[wit-nit]

Black car values seem to be lower than other colors here in this heat environment. I've noticed that dealers selling the same vehicle that the black ones are priced slightly lower. Black just gives the impression of a lot of heat.
And black vehicles do not appear to be very popular here as they are in the Los Angeles area.

[Voebe]

Well, yeah, presumably black would retain more heat.

However, a car guy once told me that metallic colors are bad, too - something about deteriorating faster in the heat.

[rodomonte]

I looked into this once because I was driving a black car to Vegas in the summer. I read that a black car will heat up faster than a white car, but not be any hotter after that.

[Valley Native]

Dark colored cars do tend to retain the heat more than the lighter colored ones ... but let's face the facts: it's damn hot here in the summer, and ANY car will be a furnace if it's parked out in the sun for any length of time, regardless of color. That's why it's always good to focus more of your concern on where you park the vehicle. Shady areas, covered spaces, and parking garages will protect your car from the heat. Phoenix does seem to have a lot of uncovered parking for a city as hot as it is, which is unfortunate!

[AZJ0SH]

I don't notice a difference in heat, but a black car shows dust/rain spots much easier.

[NotQuiteNative]

Drive whatever you like. There's no good or bad about it.

I prefer "dirt colored" cars. My favorite ever was a Jeep GC that was that Chargold color popular for a while in the 90's. I think I washed it twice a year.

[S. Chris Webb]

My car is Toyota's "Sandy Beach", which is approximately the color of Arizona dust sparkling in the sun. Couldn't be more perfect - rarely have to wash it. More importantly than car color is tinting the windows though. I think there's another thread on that.