[indus]

I see a lot of you guys in the US seem to have jet black cars ie non metallic. The only black available for the F10 M Sport in the UK is the carbon black which I have to admit I'm not sure about, it's very 'light' for a black.

When I mentioned ordering my car in jet black the dealer said it would devalue the car by about £1.5k come trade in time because most people want a metallic black!

[dpwr]

by 1.5k? total bs

[lindros2]

In the US (using Kelley Blue Book), there isn't even an option for "metallic paint."

So unless you had a black car with a number of visible scratches, I can't imagine it would be that big of a deal.

Actually metallic or "xirallic" paint is an option anyhow, so it costs $500+ when new, but depreciates 100% when you drive off the lot. I know this from my time with a Nissan GT-R (the $3000 'super silver' paint was worthless in resale).

[FrequentFlyer]

Jet Black looks fantastic on a well waxed car in nice weather. The kind of weather that you get in Southern California but not in the UK. You see it a lot on UK company cars where the owner doesn't have to worry about resale but has tight spending limits wants to spend £600 more on options. I can't imagine a private buyer going for it as it looks very flat next to Black Sapphire metallic.

[rich1068]

I'm with the others, £1.5k is BS but metallics are more attractive on the used market. Case in point is if you lease a vehicle. Lease prices are all about the residuals and often metallic is either automatically included or a no cost option.

[rogerdodger]

I'm not surprised to hear this.

As an ex Brit, now in the USA, I remember many years ago when the most undesirable colors were green and white and would fetch a lot less money on resale.

I was in England a couple of weeks back and a friend told me that white is now the new silver. Go figure.

Roger

[ipso_facto]

I have picked up my 520d M Sport this week. I went for Sophisto Grey Xirallic and I am very happy with this. I was going to go for Carbon Black, but a friend at work said that he would never buy a black car again, due the nature of black cars showing scratches more prominently.

I had a quick look at the pictures on the forums of the Sophisto Grey and went for that. I had to get my order in quickly, as I wanted delivery by the end of the year (to avoid the 2.5% VAT increase in the UK), so I didn't see the colour in the metal. The Sophisto Grey is a good colour compromise for the UK weather. It is a good Autumn / Winter colour ... sure it won't look as stunning as white or silver during the Spring / Summer, but then you can't have everything.

On the UK Car Configurator there are two blacks - the non-metallic "Jet Black" and the (what I assume is metallic) "Carbon Black". Maybe I have this wrong though - maybe the "Carbon Black" is not metallic? It sits alongside all of the other metallic colours in the configurator.

[HighlandPete]

I'm not saying Jet Black is devalued as first suggested, but in the UK colour and trim options do have a direct influence on trade values. Always have.

I was talking with my BMW sales guy a while back and a customer was wanting an odd spec' and he tried to tell them there was an impending issue come trade in time, they weren't having it. But he told me they will get a big shock at trade in, when they'll be taking a heavy hit, due to the car not being desirable to hardly anyone else. But he had warned them.

The other thing to consider, sometimes it can be regional as well, same as engine sizes. So some UK garages will have different experiences on how colour is received in the used market.

HighlandPete

[svowles]

I ordered an F11 525d MSport in October and currently awaiting an early Dec delivery. I too was going to go with the non metallic black, but was advised by the salesman not to as the resale value will be affected.

No value was given, but he did say that most customers want a metallic colour.

[LuvMyE92]

Originally Posted by indus

I see a lot of you guys in the US seem to have jet black cars ie non metallic.

My 335 was jet black because I was on a budget and was trying to save a few shekels. As mentioned above, JB looks great if you can keep it clean and polished, which I did, and it was a lot of work. Resale was adversely affected by the color I'm sure, but not to the degree that the OP mentions.

I wanted a different color this time, so I spent the money on the metallic paint (as mentioned, extra in the US). Metallic tends to hide scratches and imperfections better than a non-metallic, but also does not have the depth of a properly cared for non-metallic finish.

[Alex170177]

BS. Never believe in car saleman. Never ask your barber if you need a haircut. Get the color you prefer and have fun!!!! The car is great!! I got mine recently, couldn't be more happy!!!

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by Alex170177

BS. Never believe in car saleman. Never ask your barber if you need a haircut. Get the color you prefer and have fun!!!! The car is great!! I got mine recently, couldn't be more happy!!!

Remember we are in different markets. UK used buyers are a fickle bunch. A decent car in the wrong colour will sit on a sales plot for ages, the price drops and unless a customer comes by who doesn't mind the colour, it will sit there. Dealers are very nervous of the wrong colour and trim combinations.

In the UK, it is prudent to buy a colour that gets the best trade in value. Up to a £1,000 (sterling) is not an unknown differential for trade in values, on a car a couple of years old, depending on the colour and perceived image of that colour.

HighlandPete

[ccuk-F10]

Hi - just took delivery of my new F10 in Havanna with cinnamon interior. When choosing colour at the dealer, I was also told the 'wrong' choice will cost me £1000 in resale. Going against the advice, I ruled out black/silver/grey so had only a few options left.

In jet black v. metalic black, I think we all know the general preference which will clearly affect resale demand and therefore price but, if you 1) pay £600 for metalic and protect £1000 on resale or 2) save £600 initially and sell for less later, there is very little difference. The big question will be, were you happy with the colour for the 3 to 5 years of ownership? There's no case for saving money here that I can see. I recommend anyone to get the colour they want, not what they think they should get. (Sorry if that's a lot to say for a newbie to the forum!!)

BTW, hi to everyone!

[ccuk-F10]

I just returned to London from Vancouver, BC where the non-metalic white is the new black!

[pharding]

White is the Number 1 color this year for BMW in the US. In Germany black is the Number 1 color.