Would you pay more for a rare color?

[BULLITT65]

Would you pay more for a rare color ? if it was a desirable rare color how much more?

Ok this may have been discussed before but ZLP955 question about Corvette Bronze made me think of this question.

So Price is related to demand right? So most likely, if the condition was the same, a hugger orange car would go for more than a burnished brown car, just based on there is more demand for the orange than the brown, (sorry BB guys).

Now Orange is not a rare color vs. burnished brown, but what if the color of the car was corvette bronze and just for argument sake we are talking about a SS model. How much more would the purchase price go up for that desirable color? vs. just a red, blue or black?

Now I know everybody has different tastes, and more recently you see re-stamps with 10 10 (black) or 72 72 (Orange) on them, but while those colors have a following and there might be a slight uptick in price for them, I wouldn't say either is rare.

Now there are other "rare" colors like gold champaign in 69 but I wouldn't put that in the same category as Corvette bronze.

I know not everyone is a fan of Corvette bronze, just trying to get an idea of how much more that color would bring. thanks

[cook_dw]

I think you answered your question in your question.  It has to do with demand..  More demand more money.  You can apply this to just about anything..

[BULLITT65]

yes but how much more would a Corvette bronze color bring?

Also I am not sure of it has been calculated, how many CB 68 Camaros were made approx?

I am trying to analyze other makes and models with a similar dilemma of having a rare desirable color, and how much this contributes to a higher asking price.

[abiddle]

I took offense when you said "just a red"...to me a rare color doesn't make it more a desirable color, probably just the opposite. If a purple camaro rolled up beside me, I wouldn't pay more for it.

There's an argument that a rare color may actually detract from the car's value. When I see 40's and 50's cars in colors other than what I expect, my brain instantly warns me that they are not original. Right or wrong, for me it detracts from the value of an original car at a glance.

Andy

[BULLITT65]

thats why I referenced the burnished brown or champaign gold, they are low production colors, but to many not the most desirable.

Yes I would pay a little more for red, and Gary would pay a little more for orange, but it seems like a color like corvette bronze has a wide appeal among first gen camaro fans, so I am just trying to see what the consensus is of how much extra would you pay. 5% more for a CB camaro than the value of the car in a basic color?

[cook_dw]

http://www.camaros.org/exterior.shtml#ColorPercentages

I am not sure you will be successful with figuring out an accurate way to calculate values on colors..  Why was Frost Green & Fathom Green 8 & 10% of production but now (especially Frost) is not a desirable color today to most people?  But like you said Black was 2.0% and is very popular today..  Because color preferences come and go.  Orange, silver, red and yellow have always been popular colors for the majority.  I guess I am the odd man out because I like the unique and none conventional colors because it makes it different.

Heres a couple charts for comparison sake.

[dale_z28]

I think there are two issues at play here. "Rare" can increase value because there weren't as many produced. On the other side of the coin, "popular" can increase value because of its appeal, but as previously noted, those things come and go like fads. Low production should hold a value more consistently than trends, but both are market-driven.

[Vince]

Hmmm, I thought long and hard on this question.  It is hard to answer.  In the end I  would say that for myself I would not pay any amount more for a rare color.  I used to own a 1967 RS that was Sierra Fawn, that based on the chart was the rarest color in 1967.  I bought this car from the original owner because it was a one owner car and all original with only 48,000 miles.  The color didn't come into play at all for me. 

[BULLITT65]

Those 2 charts are interesting, guess I was under impression CB was a bit lower production for 68.

Your second chart 2010 Camaro color production was submitted before the end of production, and may not include export cars to Canada and other countries, but is close.

Now while I don't think a 2010 SS in summit white may go for more than a basic color, but it is fun to speculate if a Imperial blue SS, or Aqua blue metallic SS, would be desirable enough to command more money in the future, or will they be viewed as butternut yellow as time goes on?
(No offense Butternut yellow guys)

I agree it is always market driven, so what may not have been popular color when production started and cars were ordered. The same color may gain in popularity after the factory stopped producing it. Such as corvette bronze being a 68 only color.
Or for the 2010 Aqua blue Metallic being a 1 year only color.

[69Z28-RS]

Austin, assumptions can be .. wrong... 

you said:  "Yes I would pay a little more for red, and Gary would pay a little more for orange, but it seems like a color like corvette bronze..."

I would not pay more for an orange car!  I like hugger orange (and I joke about it a lot in here for fun), but I like many other colors more for various reason.  I like butternut yellow because a friend of mine bought one when '67's were new (and I was SO jealous - not being able to afford any car at all).    I love corvette bronze because I had a friend with one and they are rare and one year only - AND it's a pleasant color!).

I'm sure all of us have various reasons for 'liking' particular colors over any other, but I think re our collector cars, *most people* would agree with Vince's statement " I bought this car from the original owner because it was a one owner car and all original with only 48,000 miles.  The color didn't come into play at all for me. "   I would buy an 'old classic car' for many reasons other than color; color would be a secondary consideration, although I would say some colors might push me down in desirability a bit, whereas others might push me up a bit ($ wise), but in general color is down on my list of things I look for in a car..  after all, any color paint can be applied to any car..

PS.  if I'm not mistaken, the color percentages archived on CRG, and posted by Darrell, are from colors or cowl tag information provided to CRG (30-40 yrs AFTER production), and thus represent colors of the cars which *survived*? or were *restored*?, or which were 'popular' to the owner, and not necessarily reflective of actual production percentages (for which Chevy/GM have never released data for to my knowledge)...

[BULLITT65]

Well 9 years ago I was looking for a unrestored 69Z first, and was hoping I could find one in Garnet red. So yes color was the second tier, and I was fortunate that it worked out. Just saying I would't have kept pursuing my car or not as much had it been fathom green. But thats me. JohnZ may be just the opposite...

And what was I thinking,  first gens will always be in demand right???

Gen 5 Camaros may be worth dirt in the future....hahhaha ....

[69Z28-RS]

Believe it or not, I like the Garnet Red too..  in fact I'm repainting my El Camino to 'Cranberry red', which is a very similar '72 color to the '69 garnet red..

Who knows what the future will hold.. maybe we won't be able to buy gas for older cars at all and we'll all be driving electric cars..  ??     (I hope I'm gone before then!)..

PS.  back in the late '70's and early 80's.. when the gas octane decreased, and prices went up... I considered several options to continue driving my Z28...  water injection?  converting to propane fuel? ...  Damn, I'm glad I didn't do any of that crap.. ..  I also remember 74 or so, when gas became scarce, the automotive mags were filled with high performance cars for sale cheap..  Hemis...  Cobras.. Panteras...  you name it....   but fortunately we got past all that too!

[abiddle]

http://www.camaros.org/exterior.shtml#ColorPercentages

I have always thought these were actual production percentages, are you saying they are not?

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Hmmm, I thought long and hard on this question.  It is hard to answer.  In the end I  would say that for myself I would not pay any amount more for a rare color.  I used to own a 1967 RS that was Sierra Fawn, that based on the chart was the rarest color in 1967.  I bought this car from the original owner because it was a one owner car and all original with only 48,000 miles.  The color didn't come into play at all for me. 

For me.....I agree on survivors.....when you look at one - color is second place to condition/originality. No real answer on a non-survivor....everyone will say - hey, I don't mind (insert color here).....but when it comes to trying to sell it all you hear is.....well, you know....it's (insert color here).....not everyone likes that color etc. :^)

[69Z28-RS]

http://www.camaros.org/exterior.shtml#ColorPercentages

I have always thought these were actual production percentages, are you saying they are not?

You gotta read the text in front of the chart..  which says:

"This is one of the most frequently asked questions, but there are no known official production numbers on colors from GM. CRG does know that color use was tracked at the division (Chevrolet) level, but the most popular color overall within Chevrolet (dominated by full-size car and truck sales) was not necessarily the most popular within a specific model line like Camaro.
However, the CRG database for 1967-69 Camaros is now large enough to generate some estimates on color usage by percentage of total production. ( Interior color usage estimates are also available.)

As a disclaimer, the current CRG database is not a uniform population - there are seasonal, model-type, and geographic biases in the data. That said, the CRG database is the best available source for estimating paint use, and the results are fundamentally sound. "