Color Change

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niacc

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Some of you are aware that I recently purchased a Sahara colored E9. It came with a pretty nice refurbished tan interior.

This car has undergone pretty thorough rust repairs that are surprisingly well done. It has a few spots that will require repair. Overall, the paint job was not the best, done by someone far less thorough than the person who did the rust repair.

So, my welder gets some minor action, but the paint booth will be busy.

The issue is color. Sahara is not popular with many, most importantly, my wife. I am leaning toward the Chaminix (sp?) BMW color, but would prefer a pearlescent version.

I know a color change from original is typically a drag on values, but what about when the original color is so unpopular? And what do you think about the impact of using a BMW color vs something off the chart, like a pearlescent white?

You opinions and advice are welcome.
 

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i agree with @Thomas76 ... completely. there are several colors that work great with the tan interior. i think chamonix is one of them, but best with red, and a little better with black or blue

tiaga, baikal, ceylon, schwartz, anthracite, turkis, malaga, siena are some of my favorites off the top of my head.
 
niacc said:
I know a color change from original is typically a drag on values, but what about when the original color is so unpopular? And what do you think about the impact of using a BMW color vs something off the chart, like a pearlescent white?
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I agree with Thomas76: Changing color doesn't have an impact on value, at least not in e9 circles. When you get into vintage Porsches, Ferraris and the like, buyers are a lot more particular (some might say "obsessive").

The other thing that may be obvious, but needs saying, is that you need to do a 100% color change in order to not impact value. A Nachtblau exterior with a Sahara engine compartment would certainly impact value. Non factory colors - especially with technologies not available in the 70's - would as well.
 
I agree with all the other comments. My opinion, Sahara never should have been offered on our cars. It's so unflattering and boring for such a beautiful car. If it's a quality full color change, any other stock BMW will add value to your car - not detract. Stay away from adding any pearl to the new color.

Taiga with that tan interior would be my vote!
 
I think that your wife would be a Baikal kinda girl....or Arktisblau...color of the north atlantic at 35,000 feet...either great with the tan...but agree with the others...its yours now. Was this the car from Raleigh?
 
Just my opinion…

I have seen 20 years and dozens of coupes sell.
The ones with custom colors have not always been received well when it was time to sell.
Your choice but don’t complain when a crowd of buyers don’t arrive to bid on your car when you put it up for sale in a non original color.
 
I don't think a respray in Chamonix (or any other of the forementioned period e9 colors) over Sahara will be an issue (might add value), but I believe a non-period bmw color will affect value/ability to attract buyers. Will the potential hit in value from pearlescent white be more than the value to you of a color you really want? Only you can figure out that one.
 
Look at the original colors that were available for your model year,and chose the one you and your wife like best. All colors will look nice with the tan interior. Not all colors were available from Hoffman for the USA,but they all were available in Europe. Some colors like my Turkis (1973 only) were only with a black vinyl/leather or gray cloth interior. Then be prepared to have the car completely stripped of everything for a quality paint job. Metallic colors will look best with Glasurit paint with the possible exception of Ceylon (contact @rsporsche). The size or composition of the flakes that make it metallic is in the Glasurit paint. Be prepared to spend $25-30K just for the paintwork.
 
My car was painted in a pearlescent white when I bought it. I really liked the color, and have enjoyed my car for a decade now. Nonetheless, having a non-BMW color diminishs the value of my car. If I were to repaint my car, the increase in value from going to a BMW color would substantially offset the cost of paint.


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jmackro said:
The other thing that may be obvious, but needs saying, is that you need to do a 100% color change in order to not impact value. A Nachtblau exterior with a Sahara engine compartment would certainly impact value.
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Cant emphasize enough how important this is. At the end of the day the “value“ that is or is not affected is a subjective thing that only matters to a hypothetical buyer. So if you are never going to sell it, then you are the only one who determine its “value”. So go for whatever pleases you.

But, not having done the engine bay in the same color will always make it feel like a half ass job. And that will definitely affect your perception and satisfaction, regardless of what the color choice might be
 
When I did a color change on my 635, the car was stripped to a shell and all outer paint taken down to bare metal.Everything was repainted including the bottom. To me that is how a color change should be done. I did use a model correct BMW color I did not strip the car underneath. We pressure washed and got all of the loose undercoating off. We than put a reasonable amount of new undercoating on and finished in body color. It was a definite that the car came from the factory like that
 
A proper color change requires a lot of disassembly. Stay with a factory color and avoid any shortcuts, like painting the engine compartment black. Sorting out the body and the Sahara paint to a very high level might change your feelings about the color.
 
i hear what @kentvonseverin is saying, he has a point, but in order to achieve that you will have to remove all of the chrome / polished trim and redo it all to significantly increase the contrasts between paint / trim. basically everything you would remove to paint it. you will also have to refinish all of the grilles / black trim and wheels. the problem is its a beige car which dilutes contrast. its similar to the problem with a black car - it needs tons of bling and perfect, polished paint to make it pop.

what is hard to tell from the pic in the first post of the thread is how accurate the sahara color is. looks more of a pink beige than a yellow beige ... that might just be the photography. you have a chance if the sahara is the correct yellow beige ... you have no chance if its really that pink of a shade.
 
Scott @rsporsche brings up another factor here. As cars are painted or repainted, there is a variation in color (for the same color by name). I have a light Ivory 356 and the light ivory varied significantly even from the factory. One only has to look at two Fjord blue coupes to notice this issue. You might look at areas of the car that are original paint to learn the exact shade it was when it left the factory.
 
Ohmess said:
My car was painted in a pearlescent white when I bought it. I really liked the color, and have enjoyed my car for a decade now. Nonetheless, having a non-BMW color diminishs the value of my car. If I were to repaint my car, the increase in value from going to a BMW color would substantially offset the cost of paint.


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Nice. I won’t show this to my wife.
 
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