Car Paint Jobs for New and Used Cars

The color of your car can reveal a lot more about your personality and lifestyle than you probably assume. Studies have shown that people subconsciously choose car paint styles and colors that are an extension of their personality. Car owners who drive black cars, for instance, tend to be authoritative, not manipulated easily and with a taste for the classic and the elegant. People who like red for their car often tend to have an impulsive, highly energetic and outgoing personality. White car owners often are fastidious and hard to please, while those who drive grey cars more often than not have a sober and practical personality. Regardless of your color preference, when it comes to car paint jobs, it pays to know how to choose the right color so that it not only reflects your personality, but is also safe and practical.

Make Safety a Priority

Safety should be a primary concern when considering car paint options. Certain colors, like white, silver and pearl, tend to be more visible during the night and, therefore, are favored by insurance companies. Silvered-colored vehicles get into 50 percent fewer accidents than cars of other colors, including white. Some insurance companies even charge lower premiums for colors that are deemed safe and higher premiums for cars that have “risky” colors like red and orange.

Consider Your Personality

When deciding what color to choose for your car, consider the image you want to project and your own personality. Because each color tends to convey a specific personality or emotion, it is best to stick with a color that you feel most comfortable with at an emotional level. If you tend to be a sober and practical individual, you would probably feel out of place driving a bright red car. Similarly, driving a grey car would feel very inappropriate and psychologically cramping if you happen to be an extrovert who likes spontaneity and excitement.

Selecting a Color

If you are repainting your car in its original color or using car touch up paint to cover superficial blemishes, try and find something as close to the factory color as possible. The firewall of your vehicle should have a little plate with your vehicle’s paint code number on it. Remember, car colors keep changing slightly each year. So, it’s possible that you will not find an exact color match for your vehicle, especially if you happen to be driving an older model vehicle, such as a classic project car. In such situations, try to find something as close to the original tint as possible. You can use a bottle of touch up paint to see if it matches the color of the original. If you are not a professional car painter but want to paint your car all the same, consider using a scrap piece of metal for practice before starting on your car.

If you want a new color for your car, find out the colors that are currently popular. Sometimes, you could stumble upon a color choice you had not even thought about. Choosing a current color is also a good way to add some flair to an older car.