markj

All,

I like the Blue better than the Anthracite, but I also like the Ebony better than the Quartz. Unfortunatly, Acura has seen fit to only give Blue/Ebony to our Canadian brothers . So, I'm looking for something to break the tie. Which color is easier to keep looking clean?

--Mark

Teh Jatt

from those two, its anthracite..... but but


SSM > *

markj

So, you think ABP is easier to keep clean than Anthracite?

My current car is silver, and more than half of the cars in the parking lot are silver. I want something different.

--Mark

Teh Jatt

no i said ANTHRACITE, so anthrax is easier to keep clean, but once again


SSM > *

cparris

Sounds like you could benefit from this thread:

http://acura-tl.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96243

Summary: You can get custom color combinations, but it involves a non-refundable deposit and you have to wait around for your car (it seems most people special order anyway, so that's not much of a problem).

FWIW, I have Anthracite and am amazed at how easy it is to keep clean. But maybe that's just my opinion.

blufox

You can get Blue/Ebony its just that you will have to custom order the car i think somebody here did something similiar

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

Blue will show swirl marks more than Anthracite. I'd vote for the Anthracite

willz822

If keeping the car clean is your weighing factor, then you should get anthracite. The ABP is a beautiful color but dirt will definitely show. I have the anthracite and am amazed that even when dirty the car still looks amazing. It helps that the car is grey

JetJock

After having 2 NBP TL's, I made the switch to Anthracite and all I can say is WOW!! It's so much easier to keep clean. With the NBP, the day after I washed and waxed the car, I could see dust. By the third day, the car looked dull and dingy from the dust. Someone would just brush against the car and cause swirl marks from the dust. It became a nightmare.....hence the name I gave my color: N(ightmare)BP. Anthracite doesn't look as flashy, and certainly doesn't have the shine, but it never looks bad even when dusty, doesn't show swirl marks as easily, and is just less hassle all around. I think my black car days are behind me.

mrsteve

iTrader: (1)

I have a NBP CL-S and I wish I went with Anthracite. Swirl + trying to keep clean is a chore. Looks hot when it is just finished washing though

markj

I saw that other thread. I've made two different calls to Acura customer service, and asked 3 dealers. Everbody told me that it can't be done. What is really upsetting is that Acura actually makes the combination that I want (blue/ebony), but they don't sell them in the US. The guy that said that he had a dealer that could do it ended up buying a standard combination elsewhere. I think he was just getting jerked around by the dealer.

--Mark

cparris

Oh, right. Yeah, I guess I should've read the rest of that thread before posting it. Sorry 'bout that.

Maybe you could fly up to Canada and buy one from there? (Kinda doubt that would work considering taxes, registration, etc. Or at least it wouldn't be cost-effective.)

yano_jl

I have ABP (Blue) and Camel interior.

It is true, the ABP shows dirt and water spots pretty quickly. For me however, the darker colors seem to exhibit a deeper shine when polished/waxed. Too bad that it only lasts for about an hour... LOL.

tommyt37

To all...

You know I really like Anthracite... but have you noticed how many cars makers are offering gray... (haze gray and underway baby)

anyway I am still a good 5 months out from buying my 05 TL and of course since all I am doing is working and saving my money all the time I have nothing else to think about but what kind of TL I will get of course.... any who as I was saying I really like th TL in gray but sure seems like that's the new "in" color these days.. I really really like the TL in black.. when cleaned up it looks freaken awesome... but I have heard so many people comment about swirl marks and what not it kinda scares me a little. After all is said and done I'll be dropping 38k on a car and I want to keep it for at least 6 years. I'm afraid the black will show it's "wear" after awhile.. Ohh man decisions.. don't get me started on the interior! haha (I want black but that camel toe looks sweet)

SpecialFX

Both are beautiful colors. For me the ABP just looks better. Yes, it does get dirty fairly quickly but that just makes you appreciate how good it looks after you wash it I also like the quartz interior over ebony. Again, ebony looks great but I think black interiors, especially the leather, tends to show dirt and wear more quickly.

SSM and anthracite look good but I think they tend to blend into the scenery more. The ABP shows up better. I'd suggest looking at the photo gallery for a while or better yet spend some time on the dealer's lot looking at them all side by side. Only you can decide what you like best.

Enjoy.

Stewie

If you plan on selling this car you might want to stick with Anthracite.
I can't imagine its easy to sell a blue one when the time comes.

Brokedoc

Anthracite has a shorter lifespan. Look at the threads on accidents. Overwhelmingly anthracite. It's a cursed color.

PalmBchTL

IMO my Blue is the best looking color on the road after it is clean. Looks just like the water 5 miles off of Palm Beach. I do find it the hardest car I have ever had to keep clean (worse than black). It shows EVERYTHING!!! It might be though that I feel the need to have it spotless everyday!

1995hoo

The car would also have to be modified for use in the States--US Customs will require that the speedometer and odometer be replaced with ones that measure in miles instead of kilometres. That is fairly expensive to do. On top of the import taxes and everything else, it's definitely not cost-effective. The US Customs web page has a page about importing a car; I tried to find it to link it but couldn't find it quickly. Their site is at http://www.customs.treas.gov.

Indecision

That won't work any more..our exchange rate will kill you guys. It's time we go down and buy instead

PoochaKannInc

Astute observation.

I still pick Anthracite over ABP for easier maintenance.

jcentrone

My ABP is relativeley easy for me to keep clean but, i only drive about 20 miles a day. I still think it is the best looking car on the road when it is spotless. I park next to my boss' 04 Black TL and it looks better than his.

meathead

have you considered gray interior? it looks really good w/ the blue, and i know it is available in the US

JetJock

Tommy37.....I know the dilema you're in. I've owned 2 NBP Acura's, and love the color when it's clean. When I decided to purchase a '04TL, I was facing the same question of color combination's. Looking at pictures, brochures, etc., is frustrating at best. What I did was go to a huge Acura dealer in South Florida. They had almost every color combination available in their back lot. The cars were not prepped, but the dealer allowed me access to every car I wanted to look at. I spent several hours looking at, sitting in, and basically drooling over the cars. It was the best few hours I ever spent and allowed me to finally pick a color combination I could live with. It's a big investment and one best done after carefull consideration. There is just no substitute for actually seeing the colors in person and sitting in the car. I found that with some color interior's, I liked the color at first, but after sitting in the car, and considering the possibility of dirt and staining, I wouldn't be happy down the road with that particular color. Good Luck with your new car!!

tommyt37

You know as I get closer to my buy date I'll be doing the EXACT same thing you did in looking over all those colors. You know somehting though? That's part of the fun. I'm guessing about a month before I wanna buy I'll starrt getting down to the nitty gritty.. In the mean time I have my coffe table full of brouchers from Acura, Volvo, Honda, Acura, SAAB etc... they are fun to look at. I must say the TL's is done very nice. I also like Acuras web site. But Volvo has the Over seas delivery DVD and that's fun to watch. Soooo JJ you forgot to say what color you bought and why! Well???? Thanks for the reply...

redterminator

I got ABP and while it does take some maintenance it shouldn't be as bad as NBP. My rationale was that after seeing all the TL colors up close and personal, no other color stood out to me as much as the blue. It is rare here in Arizona which is good because that makes my car unique. With the amount of money I spent on this car I believe I needed to get the most out of it, in fact, I waited for 3 months for my color combination. ABP is a unique color, unlike blues from other companies. It is darker than Honda's blue yet not as dark as BMW's blue. It's hard to explain. But it does look great in direct sunlight. I think the darker colors in general make TL look "tighter" or maybe "slimmer", can't pick the right word right now. Plus blue makes it look sportier and definitely separates it out from the rest. I personally believe that other colors like white, gray and even black lose their novelty after a while, but the blue will give you something interesting and unique to look forward to every time you drive your car. Oh yeah and the quartz is really pretty nice, you should sit in one before setting your mind on ebony.

exbauer

he switched to antracite after having 2 black cars because of the ease of keeping it clean.

neuronbob

If you want "easy to clean", go with SSM. After coming from a NBP 2002 TL, cleaning my 2004 is a dream.