Ok, ok, we got the car...or have a contract.

Now to pick a color. Without going through all of my wife's and my individual preferences, we are down to two choices:


Redondo Red with the Black (Ebony) interior

White Diamond Pearl with the Parchment interior

What do you think? Issues are heat in the summer, upkeep, and resale. And of course appearence.

Thanks,

David

P.S.
The car is an auto/nav with backup sensors

P.P.S.
We will be changing tires, probably to LS-Vs, and using Dunlop M2 or M3 Sport snow tires (We actually have 4 235/45-17 M2 snows from our old '98 528i Sport.)

P.P.P.S.
Should we be considering changing the speakers? Will that help the clarity? Or does aiming the tweeters at the windshield pretty much limit what you can do?

 

DavidNJ - Glad to see you made the right choice!

I think that the Parchment interior will probably provide an environment closer to what you had with your BMW. My personal feeling is that the wood grain trim had more of a "luxury" feel and the carbon graphite was more of a "sporty" feel.

My advice is don't change the speakers for a while. I found the clarity to be fine once you adjusted the settings as I described in this thread here. After you have listened to them for a month or so, then decide if you need to change them. Don't spend money if you don't need to.

¿GotJazz?

 

White Diamond Pearl is a more popular color and will help resale, it is cooler in the summer than red, looks cleaner than red when dirty, and IMO, white looks better than red.

 

how did he make the right choice?? he wanted help with choosing between the 2 colors. i'd have to say get the red and tint the windows. the RR is a sweet looking color and will be more rare than the WDP, which many people on this site have. plus the backup sensors will show up less on the red because the sensors are black and look funky against the white.

 

Because you probably didn't read about David's first dilemma here, where he was deciding between holding on to his BMW 530 or buying an 04TL.

¿GotJazz?

 

Red Pearl / Ebony is a nice combo! That's the one I'd choose ....

I prefer dark interiors that will not show as much dirt. The comments about the interior getting hot are valid, but that's what windows and sunroof's are for IMHO.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by DavidNJ
[B]Ok, ok, we got the car...or have a contract.

Now to pick a color. Without going through all of my wife's and my individual preferences, we are down to two choices:


Redondo Red with the Black (Ebony) interior

White Diamond Pearl with the Parchment interior


Hmm.. That's a tough one. I would preferr white exterior over red, but as for interior I would have to say ebony. White hides dirts and scratches well. White and parchment itself is a good combo, but my last car had tan interior. I loved the color, but boy does it get dirty. If you're the type who diligently cleans and vacuums the interior, then I guess this is not a problem for you.

 

We were told by the dealer that the backup sensors came painted body color. But, any mismatch would be a reason to get the red. If they only came in black it could be a reason to get the car in black.

 

WDP no doubt, nothing beats a goodlooking pearl white car especially in the bright sun.

 

Did you consider red with parchment? I think that's one of the best looking combos for the TL. I personally hate dark interiors. Dust is very visible, it gets hot during the summer, and it doesn't feel spacious. Plus I like the wood accents better than the carbon fiber trim. Wood trim, even if it's fake, makes the car feel more luxurious. As for the exterior, white and red both look good. White is easier to clean and probably has better resale value than red. They are very noticeable. I think the dealer mislead you when he said they come painted body color. From the pics I've seen, they're not painted at all. They look like someone drilled holes in the rear bumper.

 

Red/Ebony is a great combo. Mine is on order for Feb.

 

I have WDP w/quartz and love it. As far as the back-up sensors, they are indeed body color and are not that noticible. At the L.A. auto show they had a WDP with the sensors and it didn't look bad at all. Personally, however, I would not get them because this is not a large car, and even in the crowded urban jungle of L.A. where there is never enough room to back up, it is easy as the trunk is pretty stubby.

 

As a WDP owner, I'm obviously biased. But I will say at night the car absolutely glistens. It never fails to get a comment from the valet or friends we're meeting for dinner. More bling bling for the $.

I'll second Got Jazz's opinion of the interior. The parchment/wood grain reminds me a great deal of the 2-tone effect of the beige leather trim of the 5 series, which you are obviously a fan of. Again, everyone that sees it thinks it's stunning.

Don't get me wrong, but seeing the Redondo Red next to the White Diamond Pearl at the dealership left my wife and me with no doubts.

 

Another WDP owner here. I don't like the red in part because it clashes with the red of the tail lights, and also because I just think its a color that you'll get tired of after a while. I get lots of compliments on the white and it looks great even after two weeks without a car wash! Just use a California Duster now and then.

Personally the interior choice was easy for me, I went with quartz because it will hold up better than parchment and I didn't like the stark contrast between the ebony dash, steering wheel and upper door handles and the parchment materials and leather. I also don't think the aluminum trim goes with the parchment and the fake wook very well.

Ebony is very clean, smooth, and fluid looking. The only downside to me is that it makes the cabin feel much smaller than the other colors.

 

My "biased" vote is for WDP w/Parchment - like mine. Mine is actually the only WDP TL I have seen in my local area. Definitely somewhat popular on this forum but still not many on the streets. Out of the three dealers I was dealing with. They each only had one WDP per 10 TL's on order.

Anyway, truly a tough decision you have. I actually liked all of the interiors and exteriors with exception to the Desert "brown", sorry guys, its nice, just not for me. I would have preferred something darker than parchment but lighter/different shade than the camel.

Being the perfectionist that I am the interior is not an issue for cleanliness. 95% of the time, I am the only person in the car/driving the TL.

As for making the final decision for WDP... When I first started looking, white wasn't even on the menu. When I was standing at the dealer looking at all the other colors, out comes a WDP with light tint prepped for delivery! Like "drising" stated: I had no doubts after that.. I can honestly say that I have no regrets - but I still want one of each!

 

Thanks for all the advise. It seems white/parchment is the overwhelming majority choice.

The conflict between the tail lights and red is a problem. At the other end of the car the conflict between the matte silver paint on the grill and the white is also a problem.

The red is very dark (maybe 25-30%B) although moderately high saturation (75-80%). That makes it mesh well with the black trim. The hue is in the 350-360 deg range (toward the blues), and I don't think it works as well with the beige (parchiment) interior.

The dark color also hides seams better on the outside (bumper to fender, doors, and hood/trunk). The black interior also hides interior seams and looks better in the few places inexpensive plastic is used (around the rattling glove box for instance).

None of these pearl paints seems to have a lot pearl. They look metallic. Although the white takes a nice tan-toned satin sheen at night. Very sharp looking.

We still have a couple of days to decide.

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Are you buying from Bridgewater Acura?

 

Yes, why?