Lady Wolf

Hi all,
I would like your opinions on this. I know that any color other than black or silver automatically have less trade in value but do you think that a car that is Bordeaux red would have an even lower trade in over a car that is Platinum blue? Pkease let me know your thoughts on this. I am trying to set up a poll but I am not sure if it will work.
Kim

M5KILLR

to be totally man-headed on this one. i think of burgundy as a girl color and blue a guy. when i originally put in an order for a cls55 i jokingly suggested red. he said youll have to pay for it upfront then. so you are correct, black and silver no problem. any other color is just personal.

Lady Wolf

I guess you can figure out which of us wants which color, huh? The car is SUPPOSED to be mine but that has still yet to be proven
Kim

MB Fanatic

I think you might be able to get a little bit more for the Bordeaux Red simply because it is not such a common color, and IMO looks drop dead gorgeous. My E350 will be Bordeaux Red with the Stone Interior.

chem0

My ride is in Brilliant Silver. Personally, I dont think the Bordeaux Red would be worth as much as a Black or Silver car because the number of people after a red E55 would be much lesser. But it wouldnt be a big difference in value.

Its a similar question to a reselling a yellow ferrari compared to a red ferrari.

Good luck

houston

i honestly think that they would want any color that would be an easy seller, I don't think they take trade-ins so it can sit around looking pretty and waiting for the particular person that may be interested in that color.. It's just the way the market is i guess..

xraymd

You never know. With the internet these days, you could be the ONLY ONE selling a red E55 in a couple of years, and to a national audience. If somebody wants red, they'll have to talk to you. If nobody wants red, call me. I always like a good deal!

Seriously, if you're going to look at it every day and think "I should have got red," you better get red. Forget resale. You need to be happy with your car.

RJC

Silver, white and black (except in ferrari and other's like corvette etc) have better trade in value than other colors, but from here each respective color may have more or less value than the others ie; a nice metallic midnight blue will not do as well as black but much better than light green etc.

Vetluver

A few years I traded a metallic green 400E and took a beating due to the color. My dealer (local, in a very small market) told me that color determines who will consider buying the car second hand.

Black, if taken care of, is one of the more desirable cars because men and women will buy it. Also certain ethnic groups (I mean no disrespect but facts are facts) prefer black Benzs over all other colors. My dealer really wished I had had a black one because he had 2 buyers looking specifically for that color. Silver and white are also popular.

Red is usually known as "resale red" but people that buy high end luxury cars tend to be conservative therefore there is a limited resale market.

My experience is based on what my dealer told me, I'm not sure that the info is accurate. Maybe someone who knows about automobile marketing can comment. Sometimes I think the dealer just makes up that s**t just as excuse to give you a low ball number.

AMGe55

I think color is a very personal thing. If you plan on keeping the car for a long time you should get whatever makes you happy. Will you be the only driver or will your husband be driving too. My wife once had a rare turquoise color Z3. She loved it because everywhere she drove it women would make nice comments about her car, but I couldn't drive it because I looked ridiculous in it.

Lady Wolf

It is to be my car but lets face it, if there is 469hp in the garage what are the chances of my husband NOT driving it? It will be the family car as the 3 of us don't fit into his SLK55. should also point out the although the color is called red it is actually burgandy.
Kim

Vic55

I work in the industry in California and deal with wholesalers and used car directors everyday. The off colors or specialty colors (that are not in the black or silver range) generally take a hit. This is especially the case on highline units like MBZ's, Porsches, BMW's...etc. Whether blue or burgandy will take the bigger hit is tough call. Both colors are generally less desireable in the resale market at least here in California. IMO I think the burgandy would take the harder hit but by how much.... I dont know.

Used cars cost more to floor and generally need to be moved in small time frame. Dealers don't like to take in the off colors and watch that car sit and suck up interest on a used car plan. While we all like the blue and the burgandy colors, how many of us buy them used? I personally love the rare colors but have taken hits due to color. Case in point was my 2002 BMW M5 LeMans Blue which I loved and everybody on the M5 forum sites love too but not one dealer liked it. Luckily I was able to leverage my relationship to get a high number on it- but if it was silver or black the discussion would have been much easier. My issue is that I never keep a car for more than 2 years so I kind of have to look at color in regards to resale. If you are buying or keeping your car for the full lease term than it really doesnt matter as long as the color is exactly what you want.

lee2375

I also work with a lot of auto dealers, and what vic says is pretty true....general advice is that if you want an off colored car, lease it or else take a hit. Black, silver, greys, and white are usually the safest colors. I do a lot of buying, selling, and brokering of my own, so color defintely plays a part in my purchases.

Of course, if the bordeaux is really the color you want, then the extra hit is just an additional opportunity cost of getting what you really like.

lee2375

one thing i forgot to add...i strongly believe the platinum blue will be worth more than the bordeaux.....the platinum is actually fairly popular and a decent seller, not like a midnight, orion, or capri

my guess is a 3-4K differential between the 2 colors

allenjdmb

and Vic is generally on target. A black car will always bring more money. Most Benz customers are conservative, and most reds or their derivatives are nowhere on resale. (The old signal/magma red or the new mars red are best examples) Just as an aside, platinum blue cars don't seem to be doing anything at the Benz auctions. Blues and Benzes have always been tough. If someone wants a dark color, they want 040. I do have to agree, if you're paying for it, and going to keep it a while, then you might as well get what you want, and try to forget about what's coming at the end...

AMGe55

Personally I got tired of seeing all the black and silver benzes. I got mine in Tectite which I think looks great, although it still is a conservative color.

Lady Wolf

Wel, one thing I can tell you absolutely will NOT happen is us getting either a black or silver Benz. It's either the blue or the burgandy but I am just not certain which yet. I have until a week from today to decide.
Kim

AMGfan

Kim...Blue gets my vote...check out sillyents Capri blue E55!!!! If your worried about resale, then I think the blue would make a faster resale than the burgundy.

Good Luck.

Vic55

Good, you should get the color you want. But if you ever have to dump it early be prepared to take a hit for the color. I didnt buy my car based on resale- even though there are a ton of silver and black benzos out there I still appreciate each and everyone when I see them. Especially if they are clean!!!