Orange OK?
Q: Our daughter is graduating from art school in August and we are surprising her with a new car. To support and celebrate her distinct individuality, we want to buy her a car in her signature color – orange. We’ve done the Sunday drive through several different car lots and have not once seen an orange car even though we do, every once in awhile, see one on the highway. Is orange a passé color that’s no longer available? We want a safe car that is 20-something appropriate, but it doesn’t matter if it’s a sedan or a small SUV. Can you direct us?
A: Happy to.
It’s true that car colors go in and out of vogue, but orange – from a tangerine-like shade to deeper, almost coppery hues – is available on a variety of vehicles that are likely to have some appeal for a 20-something.
I’m not especially surprised you haven’t seen any such vehicles on the dealership lots. Dealers tend to stock up on the predictable whites, grays and blacks that move pretty fast. That doesn’t mean, necessarily, that you will have to place an order with the carmaker; the dealership you choose to work with will be able to check inventories at other dealerships and perhaps find exactly what you want.
You’ll want to investigate each of these models by doing a little online safety research and reading some reviews, and you’ll no doubt test drive the two or three you narrow your list to (in a color you don’t want, but that’s not important).
This list I present here is by no means a complete one. And if you can extract from your daughter the names of some of the vehicles she might be interested in, you can go online and figure out if those are available in some shade of orange.
But to get you started here are some of the 2017 models you might want to check out: Jeep Compass Trailhawk in “spitfire orange” with a black roof; Toyota Prius in “tangerine splash pearl;” Ford Escape in “canyon ridge,” which is a rich, sort of desert-looking orange; Ford Fiesta in “chrome copper;” VW Tiguan in “habanero orange metallic;” Fiat 500 in “spitfire orange;” and Hyundai Veloster in “vitamin C.”
Sharon Peters What’s your question? Sharon Peters would like to hear about what’s on your mind when it comes to caring for, driving and repairing your vehicle. Email Sharon@ctwfeatures.com.
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