Had a Basalt black 997TT and a Cayman S. They were much better than my just black M3 that I've just bought. With a good detailer they look fantastic but leave it for 30 minutes even in my garage and it shows the dust!

Basalt black was significantly easier but then again I do love black cars in general.

 

IMO, nothing looks better than a CLEAN black car but as sizquik said on page one "black is a hobby" and if you dont enjoy cleaning your car it will drive you nuts, there are a few things that can really help the process, for me I can get my car almost showroom in half an hour thanks to...
Once every couple months I use Rejex (I got mine from Bumperplugs) awesome stuff
I use a wash mitt
Power Drill Bit Wheel Cleaning Brush (takes me less than a minute per wheel)
Dry with synthetic chamois

 

Black is not a color, it is a commitment.

Looks great when just washed though . Basalt black and Atlas/Seal Gray are good compromises if you want a neutral dark color that is easier to maintain. I am also very intrigued by the dark brown... I think it looks very classy.

There is really no bad color (says the guy with the orange paint-to-sample car), just go with what you like.

T.

 

When i bought mine, black was the only color I considered. No regrets after all these years.

 

My current TT is my 4th black car, black is harder to keep clean but NOTHING beats a clean black car.

 

and it is only clean for about 2 hours after its been fully detailed. My friends make fun of me because I don't clean my care before car shows, but I just say the dirt is my street cred.

But when she is clear she sure is pretty

 

1 degree out of 360 degrees, given certain sun angle, my black 997 looks like crap. But the other 359 degrees it looks great. It is not a DD so it stays pretty clean. I'm looking for great Detailer in San Diego - it needs a paint correction. Most think the car is new however. Next time, I will get silver.

 

I love black, think of it as a HOBBY,not a color!, you'll notice swirls and fingerprints, 2 minutes after detailing!!! black, gotta love it!!!

 

Ok, that's a serious detail. What does that set you back and how often do you do it, if you don't mind sharing?

 

If it was a DD, no way would I do black. Since my 997 is a weekend toy that I only take out on nice days, nothing looks better then black.

 

i wasnt aware Porsche came in any other color

 

My first C2S was black.. it lasted 10 months before it was traded in for a one year newer meteor grey one. Black was on the top of the list as the reason to trade it... it was a PITA to keep clean. After I washed and waxed it, I didn't want to drive it...

 

I just washed mine yesterday and I had to bring it in for a service today.... I really didnt want to drive it since its raining in MA .

But as a previous poster mentioned... dont mess with the dirty black car until you want to wash it.

Personally, I wash my cars on a regular basis, so I dont think its that big of a deal. I dont have that many swirl mark issues. Would I get another black car? If the price is right with the right options... sure! A car wash here and there wont make me feel like the black car is less enjoyable. Plus, once I start driving, I forget its black and dirty.

 

Here is an article I wrote and was published in Total 911. Speaks for itself. Enjoy.

Owning a Black Porsche – A Beauty or a Curse?

When you are first looking at what car you should invest those hard earned dollars in, you are thinking about how it will feel to sit in the driver’s seat and depress the accelerator, how it corners at high speed, the sound of the engine at high RPM.

What you are not thinking about is how much effort you are going to need to invest in keeping it looking like the day you bought it.

When I entered the showroom to buy my first P-Car it took me all of 10 seconds to zero in on the car of my dreams. A shiny new 2007 Carrera S, Black-on-Black, Turbo Wheels, Brakes and Wing Mirrors. It looked so fast just sat there on the showroom floor but I could only imagine what it would be like to drive.

Whilst I know there is a perceived undercurrent around Porsche drivers, specifically in this current financial climate, I have to tell you that driving the car away from the dealer a few days later I felt like an invincible god – pathetic I know!

Driving home there were a lot of “thumbs up” and “great ride” comments which only added to my perceived magnificence LOL!

I even managed to get a fitted Porsche car cover as part of the package which put my new baby snuggly to sleep that evening.

But – to my shock and horror – within 1 day of driving and parking it, it had a layer of pollen on it that made it look like it had been sat in a car lot for a year untouched.

And this, dear reader, leads me to the purpose of my missive. Whilst a black Porsche I believe is one of the best colors available for making your car look like what it is – a thoroughbred racehorse disguised as a car with grace, elegance, beauty and power- it soon turns into a labor of love to keep it to that level.

On a week to week basis I will look at the weather forecast to see the short to medium range forecast to see how much time I should invest in washing and polishing the car (which takes from 2 to 7 hours depending on how meticulous you are). It is all around return on investment – how long can I possibly keep it looking clean given the time I have to commit to it.

I am not a person interested in entering my car for Concors event or even as a garage showpiece, I have driven this car hard (more than 45K miles in 3 years – DE events and all), but with a black car you have to take that mentality because EVERYTHING shows up on a black car.

It shows everything from water spots and pollen to the dreaded “Swirl Marks”. I think Swirl marks are likely the biggest cause of angst for black car owners because it does not matter how careful you are in cleaning your car (it goes without saying NEVER take a black car through an automatic car wash), swirl marks appear and will drive you to madness in how much they get to your psyche.

And this is when the madness begins….

You start by reviewing forums such as 6Speedonline and Rennlist where there are huge discussion tracks on techniques, equipment and an endless list of waxes/polishes etc. You also look at specialist sources such as Griots Garage that provide not just the equipment but detailed handbooks on looking after your car from inside to out.

Then you start buying special cloths and waxes/polishes, paint cleaning clay and then the master of them all – a random orbital polisher (which I persuaded my wife to buy be as an Xmas present – much to her mirth).

Then you have to buy racking for everything you bought to keep the kids from running over it and using your “specialist” cloths for cleaning bikes etc.

The final nail in the madness coffin is the following: Having 3 young children means I spend a lot of time ferrying them to soccer, softball, lacrosse etc across the Boston Area. As a result I have found myself looking at the locations of these events on Google Maps and zooming in to the highest level I can to identify whether the car park is concrete or loose gravel, If I have a choice this will sway the location I will prefer to drive to. I have almost wept, after cleaning my car, driving to a soccer field where the car park is loose concrete gravel and having grey dust kick up around me and cover the car.

Am I insane? Who knows… all I know is that when I put the final touch to my car after spending hours washing, polishing and waxing it, I get that very same feeling I had the day I bought it. And all of the time it took is worth it – just please don’t rain for a couple of days!

Owning a Black Porsche – A Beauty or a Curse? – Try it yourself and you decide – but buyer beware!.

 

Nice read..thanks