I'm about to buy the new TL and still can not decide which color should I get.
Basically, I like these four colors:
- Monterey Blue
- Pearl white
- White
- Black

Which of those colors is more resistand to dirt?

Why it is important to me:

I live in an apartment complex, work at startup 60-80 hr/week, often - on weekends, so I will definitely not able to wash the car myself every week. Realistically - I will go to some Car Wash once per 2-3 weeks, or so.
I'm usually driving about 100 miles per day and work in San Francisco. My company has no parking space available, so we park on the street (it takes about 20 minutes to find a spot). You can imagine - a lot of pigeons and other environment hazards. So, realistically, the car will be a little bit dirty almost all the time.

I understand that silver metallic would be the best, but I don't like it

Which of those four colors above would you recommend?

 

Nighthawk black pearl all the way !!

 

Definitely go with a lighter color. I've found from personal experience that white cars always look the cleanest. The lighter the color the better as far as showing dirt. However, I bought the Monterey Blue and went against my own judgement. I just couldn't resist and absolutely love the color. It is going to take a lot of time to keep it looking good, however.

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2001 Monterey Blue/Parchment, stock

 

I bought Laguna Green and it looks clean for a long time.

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2000 TL - Laguna Green, Navi, Rear Spoiler. Soon to have 17" wheels. Lowered 1.5" & Comptech Axle back Exhaust.

<FONT COLOR="#800080" SIZE="1" FACE="Verdana, Arial">[This message has been edited by MikeS on 11-09-2000 @ ]</font>

 

I got the White Diamond Perl and I think its a awesome color. But if you want a dark color and are willing to keep up with the washing of the car, I say go for it. I didn't get black because of the upkeep but since I clean my car almost every week, I kind of regret it now.

I guess it all depends on how much time you are willing to invest in your car.

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'00 White Diamond Perl
Wings West Spoiler
Rear Comptech Sway bar

 

I have the Nighthawk Black & I keep mine clean so don't get black or blue go with White Diamond Pearl 1st choice &than plain white 2nd choice from what you say you might not spend much time cleaning it.I would not go to auto carwash only the kind where you yourself do by hand.What you could do with the WDP TL or white is buy spray detailer like I do with some terry cloth towels & spray it everyday or so & that will keep all but your wheels & glass clean.You can buy Quick spray detailers for about $4 to $6 a bottle & will do car about 8 times if you stay on it.Everybody make one Meguiars,Eagle One,Slick Stuff by The Wax Shop & Mothers Prolong also makes a waterless wash& shine product at about the same cost.If you can't get the white then go blue & black as your last choice.

 

i have the monterey blue pearl and it gets dirty very quickly. think maybe a car cover could help or is that just too much of a pain in the ass to put on and take off every day?

 

I can say it takes me about 2 or 3 min to put it on & take off less then 1 if you not going to put in case.Yes it can be a pain sometime when it rains on it & you have to take it off when wet.The up side is when its dry car stays cleaner then when in a garage.If you get one get the good quality kind & make sure its the one for the TL & not universal fit. Cover Craft makes them you can order from a place like CAR COVER COUNTRY .COM they have over 4000 custom fit covers or Acura dealer & A&H Motors

 

Get the white. It will look OK even when dirty.

 

Laguna Green hides the dirt!!

 

naples gold will NEVER , and i mean NEVER get dirty, i used to own an accord with that color, so i know, if not naples, silver is the next choice....

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Bad ass TL...but...
Cant afford Mods.....

 

My explorer is that color and this is very true....



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2000 TL - Laguna Green, Navi, Rear Spoiler. Soon to have 17" wheels. Lowered 1.5" & Comptech Axle back Exhaust.

 

Oh, yeah! I go 2 months sometimes without washing my car sometimes... still looks good. Eventually the front wheels start getting darker because of brake dust... then I wash the whole car.

Wax 2-3 times a year helps to repel dirt, too.

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2000 3.2 TL, Paper maps.
Comptech axle-back exhaust.
225/55ZR-16 RE730s on OEM alloys.
205/55QR-16 Alpins on steel wheels w/covers (winter).

Pictures

 

I have Nighthawk Black. It's a pain in the ass to keep clean, but ohhh the colour rewards you.

 

Laguna or Gold whould be the best but if I had to chose out of your colors, none of which hides the dirt!!!, I'd go with the White Diamond Pearl... gorgeous color I have to admit even though I have a Laguna...

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Just my 2 cents...

 

Yep, i have WDP and it has been the cleanest looking car in the lot at work even when it rained for over a week.

I've had silver car before and even better w/ dirt. Laguna would probably be close, but I don't like it.

Light and/or metallic is your best choice for not showing dirt. Silver or gold would hide bird poop best. The silver looks pretty good, but you have to get it with the black interior. I wanted tan, so no silver. The WDP looks very nice, better than the taffeta White, I think.

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'01 WDP TL
Momo shift, wing, tint, Whistler 6-band.
'88 White RX-7 Convertible
BBS, Kenwood 'Flip-face,' Fosgate Fanatic 4.9, Fosgate 8", Boston Acoustics.

 

Naples Gold is definitely the best bet to keep your TL looking clean. I've had mine for over a year now and it seldom ever looks dirty. It's a great colour. Although, I have to admit it's more of a luxury colour than a sporty colour.

 

I have the nighthawk black, it's a pain in the but to keep clean, i already washed it 3 times! and every time it gets dirty. The funny thing is that tomorrow will be the 3 week anniversary of me having the car. Dammit! Definitely don't go with black, unless you like to clean cars.

Well, the thing is my backyard is dusty and leaves fall all over my car too, this sucks! I hate that.

I got my car tinted also today. 35% smoke tint. Looks very very nice, almost has a silverish reflective look to it when you look straight at it. I was gonna get silver but it's illegal here, so i went with smoke. Highly recommend it if you got nighthawk black.

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2001 Acura 3.2TL w/ Navi Black ext. Ebony int., Sunroof Visor,
35% Smoke Tint and more to come!

 

There's trade-offs. Lighter colors hide dirt but even when they're washed & waxed they won't look as tight as a clean dark color. Problem is, dark colors are high maintenance. Personally, I liked the Laguna cause it looks different under different lighting. Good Luck!

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2001 Laguna Navi
OEM Spoiler
Burlwood Shift Knob

 

If you can't wash your car at least once a week, go with a lighter color - WDP (my choice), tafetta, or silver. The lighter colors may show the pidgeon poop more, but it will show everyday dust and grime less. Of course, if you're more concerned with the bird droppings, a darker color (Laguna, gold, or blue and black might be a better choice. In the long run, it just may be best to get the color you like and worry about keeping it clean later!