Thoughts regarding black as an exterior color (1 Viewer)

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Calling-in from west of the Rockies
I've been searching for a 2013+ for awhile and originally discounted black as an exterior color due to the maintenance factor (harder to keep clean) and that blemishes tend to be more pronounced against a glossy, dark surface. My wife has a black Audi and I find that it doesn't take that much effort to keep it blitzed, but then again it's a road only vehicle that will never see paint scratching brush. Also, from personal experience with the Audi, it's a real heat sink in the summer time - though I think a quality window tint will reduce this in conjunction with the LC's ventilated seats.

However, that being said the more black 200s I see, the better they look. And I think that black looks great with a set of Rock Warriors and some meaty AT tires (my eventual plan).

To those of you with a black 200, do you regret the color choice or find it overly difficult to polish? If you could snap your fingers and change it to another shade, would you, and why?
 
My LC is dark grey, but I’ve had black vehicles.

Two main down sides:
-Shows dirt pretty badly
-Hotter than heck to the touch in direct sun, and heats the interior (my dark grey does this enough. Black more so

My silver 100 was best for combo of staying cool, and hiding dirt/dust IMHO.
 
My LC is dark grey, but I’ve had black vehicles.

Two main down sides:
-Shows dirt pretty badly
-Hotter than heck to the touch in direct sun, and heats the interior (my dark grey does this enough. Black more so

My silver 100 was best for combo of staying cool, and hiding dirt/dust IMHO.

Yep, silver would be my first choice. My old man had a silver Blazer for years. It always looked more clean than dirty.

Magnetic grey would be my second choice, but they seem to be a bit harder to find and I really think it shares a lot of the same downsides as black when it comes to blemishes, etc. - though it's not as bad.
 
Yep, silver would be my first choice. My old man had a silver Blazer for years. It always looked more clean than dirty.

Magnetic grey would be my second choice, but they seem to be a bit harder to find and I really think it shares a lot of the same downsides as black when it comes to blemishes, etc. - though it's not as bad.

I can tell you that it hides dirt far better than my black vehicles have...even though my LC is in the dirt a lot. :)
 
I know Super White is a single stage paint (no clear coat) and read on Mud that the black paint used in the '08-'11 model run is single stage as well.

Can anyone confirm the same for the black paint used in the 2013-2015 models? I would assume it is single stage.
 
I should add that @indycole drives a black cruiser and he somehow manages to keep it clean. :) Maybe he’ll chime in here.
 
Mine is Magnetic Grey :) Maybe thinking of @TRD Burglar?

Wow. We’ve done many trails together and 8 days in Baja! You’d think I’d remember. We got very dirty thigh... so I guess I just kept thinkin black!
Doh!!!
Or... :doh: :hillbilly:

But then...no wonder it looked so good. :) It’s my current fave magnetic grey. Hehe. It’s actually amazing how many rigs in Breck were as well.

And ya...TRDburglar and your rig look very similar when tailgunning...what with your black metal rooftops etc. oK. I no longer feel crazy.
 
I have a black/grey 2009 LC which I love. It's not meant for beauty. It's meant to be mean and ugly, it's a truck and a land cruiser. Black is beautiful. The only other color that catches my eye is white/grey esp on the LX.

In the past I didn't care to keep it extra clean but 6 months ago I got one of those unlimmited car wash passes for $12/mo and started using it daily and got used to keeping car looking new and detailed for free. On my way to work I stop for a free car wash when I'm not in a huge rush.
 
I have a black/grey 2009 LC which I love. It's not meant for beauty. It's meant to be mean and ugly, it's a truck and a land cruiser. Black is beautiful. The only other color that catches my eye is white/grey esp on the LX.

In the past I didn't care to keep it extra clean but 6 months ago I got one of those unlimmited car wash passes for $12/mo and started using it daily and got used to keeping car looking new and detailed for free. On my way to work I stop for a free car wash when I'm not in a huge rush.

Ya, I do an unlimited car wash here too.

It’s great bc I can get dirtier than
Bill Clinton at a college job fair...and still be squeaky clean after just a 10 minute stop on the way home. ;)
 
Ya, I do an unlimited car wash here too.

It’s great bc I can get dirtier than
Bill Clinton at a college job fair...and still be squeaky clean after just a 10 minute stop on the way home. ;)

Now that's dirty.
 
Now that's dirty.
As well as expected. ;)

We moved from metro DFW to rural Idaho with, at that time, with wife's Acura Legend in black. You could wash and dry the Legend and watch it get dusty within half a day. I ended up finding a metallic grey 200, wife now drives a silver series 100 LX.
 
I rock black and so far have little issue. Sure it shows dust and grime more, sure it is warm if it’s in the sun all day, but Toyota built an air conditioner that can handle Dubai so the heat part does not really bother me.

As far as cleaning goes, keep a good wax on the car (I’m not crazy, every 3-6 months for waxing, not weekly like some people out there) and wash with an unlimited wash once a week or every other week, and it is all good.

When I bought my Cruiser I swore up and down that I’d never buy another black car, as my Audi’s were both black, and keeping them looking perfect was hard, but the black Cruiser spoke to me, and I will say that with dirt it does look pretty good, unlike an Audi or another “road” car, it looks like you are actually using it instead of neglecting it.
 
(Buy the silver one just listed on ExPo. One way RDU to DEN is generally less than $110 on Frontier. Then it's just 2 days of driving and 1 night of hotel or sleeping in it to get back. Have someone on the Front Range check it out for you.)

I have passed on vehicles due to them being black after my previous experience with black vehicles. It's not the showing dirt that bothers me, it's the showing micro-mars, swirls, etc and the effort required to correct/conceal the damage once it happens. I was extremely tempted to buy that somewhat built black 200 in OK that was listed on ExPo. I think it took so long to sell due to it being black.

That said, I doubt color is ultimately going to make or break Cruiser ownership.
 
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I'm trying to find something local - as in leave in the early morning and be back by late evening kind of close.

A year ago, I would have seriously considered flying out and driving back. However, a newborn and a higher tempo position at work will keep me grounded for awhile.
 
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I have a black lx. It always looks dirty. It is handy to mod, pretty much every accessory goes with black. And black powder coat goes with black. If I recall it isn’t clear coated, but I don’t remember where I read that; might’ve been the white.
 
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My black 2013 looks good dirty or clean. Wouldn't change a thing. I don't notice the temperature difference and I live in Texas with 104+ summers. AC is strong and cold.
 
I have had a couple of black cars (still have one) and nothing looks better than a freshly washed & waxed black car. But they'll start looking dirty by the time you put the washing stuff away (-; I honestly don't really ever notice our black sedan as looking dirtier than average though, and I do not wash it very often. The AC in the 200 is pretty powerful, so I say get whatever color floats your boat.
 

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