Black Camaro upkeep

[jokerswild]

Ever since I was a teenager, I've wanted a black musclecar. Something in the 1968-1972 range of American cars. I knew I wouldn't be able to realistically get one for quite some time, but I'm patient (in some ways).

So I held out, named my dog Nova... and matured a bit (very little I guess... but hey, a little is better than nothing )

So now here we have the current Mustang/Challenger/Camaro set. And as much as I love the old-school muscle cars, I know that I'd enjoy the current technology and handling more than if I were to rebuild something myself.

So, given that this is essentially my "dream car", I want black. No stripes. I've read a lot of threads on cleaning, so I mostly want to hear from the black car crowd.

Given what you now know about black, would you have purchased differently? I'm not talking about preference in colors, I'm mostly concerned with the maintenance and cleanliness of the car.

[Michael_Js]

Well, I've owned more black vehicles than anything else. This 2010 Camaro has been, by far, the hardest to keep clean and swirl free - which it has never been no matter how hard I try! I was going to get IOM and got talked out of it.

I think black is very sexy, however, you lose a lot of the lines with all black. It makes things easier - everyone is using black-outs everywhere and you don't need to do a thing But, again, you lose the contrast. You can accent it with color though - like the dark gray GFX, and wheel choices, stripes, etc. But you want no stripes, so that accent is gone.

Love the color, but my 2014 Vette will be that copper metallic or IOM color!

BTW you can see plenty of Black cars in the Black thread...

[2010 SSRS]

I have 3 black vehicles, Black is awesome.

[Adam's Polishes]

Black is a love/hate relationship... I've owned tons of black cars and trucks over the years. You'll hate it when it seems to swirl up just by looking at it the wrong way, but you'll love it when its all polished out.

If you are willing to put in the work to keep it up then go for it, but if you find yourself having a hard time dedicating entire weekends to paint care then you might be better off choosing another color.

[myold88]

Back in June '09 I turned down a customer cancelled black SS Camaro. It's one of the best decisions I ever made.
I went in the opposite direction with a Summit White SS and have done nothing but wash it as needed- No cleaners, no buffers, no wax. Just wash and enjoy. The lighter the color, the easier to maintain.

[spacecowby]

I owned a black Saleen F150 and sore I'd never own black again, but when I saw black on black camaro, I decided it was well worth it.

[don0fthedead]

Well worth it! Sure, you will see swirls and imperfections easier, but honestly most of the time, it isn't as bad as it sounds. If you can read up on the proper methods of taking care of your car before you go out and do something you probably shouldn't, it really pays off.

Yeah, I may get swirls or other imperfections. However, they are only really noticeable when your eyes are within a foot or two of the car. There's been times where I've been walking through the parking garage at work with my coworkers. They'll say something like, "Wow, that car looks amazingly clean." And I say, "WHAT?! It's filthy, I haven't washed it in a week!" (not to mention some swirls or water spots!)

It's much easier to put the car under a microscope when you own it (and it's good that you care about it so much). However, it's good to also realize that most of the things you notice, the average eye won't see. Especially if you're speeding down the road!

[CFD]

Black cars are no dirtier than other cars, they just look that way, they suck to keep clean, when I wipe it down, by the time you finish the last panel the first one is dirty again, you, the OWNER, see every scratch, swirl mark, chip and any other imperfection there may be but with that said I would never own anything but a BLACK car and/or motorcycle. I LOVE BLACK.

[Adam's Polishes]

Originally Posted by myold88

Back in June '09 I turned down a customer cancelled black SS Camaro. It's one of the best decisions I ever made.
I went in the opposite direction with a Summit White SS and have done nothing but wash it as needed- No cleaners, no buffers, no wax. Just wash and enjoy. The lighter the color, the easier to maintain.

Common misconception... white needs love too... it won't give you the stunning reflections or deep look of black, but it has its own charm.

NO WAX? C'mon... you gotta take care of that thing or its gonna end up like the truck I was working on this past weekend:

[motor1]

I would say that it comes down to your level of acceptance. Will it bother you to see the dust and small imperfections that you would hardly notice on most other cars? For the 3 minutes after a detail of my car, I am in love. Then the hate begins. Soooooooo with that in mind I will NEVER buy a black car again, I am just too particular. It will be Silver, White, Yellow, or maybe Orange next time.

[Michael_Js]

Problem is the paint is so thin, that every hairline shows up in the black. I love my Black car, but I think I will reconsider the color I've bought 95% of my vehicles, my entire life - starting with my '82 Black Camaro RS 5 spd

[jokerswild]

My current Tacoma is silver. I bought silver because my previous vehicle was a black Jeep Wrangler.

I didn't have the time or patience to work on the Wrangler. I'd LIKE to think I've matured a little bit, and would treat this fine piece of machine like it deserves.

As much as I LIKE the other colors, I LOVE black. My biggest worry is that I'd buy something else, and I'd then see it as compromising. I'd always have that "I should've got what I wanted" feeling. Same reason I won't get the 1SS... This is going to be my dream car, so I want to have zero regrets.

If I don't clean it as often as I should, then I'd have no one to blame but myself. If I buy another color, I'll always have that "what if" feeling.

Please feel free to continue the conversations... I'm going to keep all options on the table until I order the 2011 in a month or two. However, I'm about 90% sure - 2SS/RS, Black exterior, black interior, no stripe, no sunroof.

[BigMatt]

As long as you have a garage to keep the car in at night then black is the way to go. It looks amazing when it is clean, I get compliments all day. Sometimes it is a pain to keep clean but it's really beautiful when it is

[Tecca]

As long as you have shelter for it you should be fine. Because of zoning I have no garage utter bullcrap and I have a SIM. It doesn't take more than a couple hours before there is dust all over her. However a good sealant wax combo and you don't have to worry as much.