Q:
Our daughter announced at Christmas that she will buy her first brandnew car this spring. Her heart is set on the Subaru Crosstrek, which is fine, but the color she’s fallen for is a vivid, livid orange. We’d like to think that she’ll keep whatever car she buys until it’s ancient, but we know 25-year-olds don’t do that and we’re worried she’ll tire of that awful color before it’s paid off. Even if that doesn’t happen, she’ll probably get pennies on the trade-in because no one will want that color. What is your advice?
A:
Hey, you’re asking a woman whose first brand-new car was an AMC
Javelin in “wild plum,” a sort of fuchsia/purple hue that shouted “garish!” Somehow, I survived and traded it in (with no huge color devaluation) four years later for a Toyota Corona that was a tasteful shade of cocoa.
Part of the joy of reaching adulthood and having sufficient income to buy a new car is the statement-making aspect separate and distinct from what parents might have chosen.
It’s probably true that a black or red vehicle would be a safer resale bet, even for the Subaru XV Crosstrek. This car is likely to appeal to the younger set since it’s priced less than $25,000. The size is small crossover, and at least a couple of the colors, including the tangerine orange pearl that captivated your daughter, are regarded as ‘youthful.’ But I wouldn’t fret that the trade-in loss will be huge.
Will she tire of it faster? Maybe, but maybe not.
Happily, this is not a spontaneous, sameday purchase. The fact that she won’t make the actual transaction until later this year gives her time to figure out if the color will wear well with her. Suggest that she go look at it often in all kinds of daylight. Tell her that “colors with character” can be tougher to trade in, and they can sometimes begin to annoy the owner as time passes.
She can consider both points, and if she decides to go the Orange Crush route, it won’t, in the long run, be a wallet-shattering decision.
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