arn't all these specialist colours a nightmare to match if you need any bodywork done

isnt the problem with "alternative" colours that they look a bit shabby after a few years

i'm thinking yellow Astra btw

Nope, not really. Not with manufacturer's colours. The only matching issues present is the bodyshop themselves and what paint system they use.

One-off colours can be an issue if the original source cannot be identifed, as can chameleon paint (TVR) or glitter clear coats.

Vauxhalls have crap paint anyway (non-metallic, at least); How many Red Corsas/Astras/Vectras do you see that have gone pink and have the clear coat laquer pealing off? Most other manufacturers have sorted red pigment fading years ago, but Vauxhall never seemed to be able to address it.

Hmm - four years and 60k miles in our "lightning metallic" (bluey/grey/silver) Astra and it still sparkled.

Red fading should be long gone - too much titanium dioxide in the paint so UV kills it.

The wifes BMW is carbon black (only for M sport models, be it derv or petrol ) and when it's clean and polished it looks superb in a black/blue kind of way, especially with the shiney 19" rims.
My Porsche is purple and looks awesome in the sunshine but quite often just looks black when it isn't sunny.

Nothing beats Estril blue on a bright sunny day, when your wheels are spotless and glittering.

I reckon the new M3 would look tremendous in Estril Blue.

SBK

Even better in EstOril blue though...:thumb:

To be fair its 15 year old snotters driven by plebs.

Nope, have dealt with faded five year old Corsa Cs (upto 2006). Shocking really - something you'd expect of a car from the early 1990's, not 2005

Clearly demand out there for the red leather, as the car I was considering is now sold! :(

Saw a nice white one today with red leather, and the colour of the seats looks great through the windows - like a red wine red, but I think it does look a bit bright when you see it direct. Reckon I could live with it, but would certainly prefer grey, black or even white!