Need Help Choosing Exterior Color!

[JL M3]

Have you seen YMB in person?

[dawgdog]

I had selected AW as it is a safe choice. Saw YMB in person and changed to that as my last two cars are while and one I still own. I considered MG but it is does not contrast with the carbon fiber roof. Had a black e46 and that will be my last black car. SO is interesting and the more I see it the more I like it.

[serieD]

Originally Posted by zhoffman9

That's not really how I think of it with all due respect. I have a loud color now with the RS4 and love it. All i'm asking is (putting aside everything), what is YOUR favorite color out of the colors that i've provided in this car?

The only reason why i've brought it to the threads is because I like every single color. I'm just trying to get a feel for what people consider to be the best.

I was in a similar situation before I placed my order. Luckily I live close to BMW NA and was able to sneak in and see all of the M3/4's in the M colors as well as Silver, White, and Grey.

While by far grey is the "meanest" color, because it is nothing but straight business, yas marina blue is a very special color. Most people on the forum passed judgment on the color before they had ever seen it in person, or seen it in natural light. The color has a ton of complexity, it has a deep level of pearlescent silver/white when the sun is hitting it. I was between Sahkir Orange, and YMB, I originally loved Sahkir, when the sun hit it, it was just exploding with color, and I still do like the color but seeing it next to Yas lead to it's demise.

YMB, unlike SO, doesn't explode with color, sure it gets to be bright baby blue in the sun (which i love), but it's almost as if the color collects light as a posed to reflecting it. It seems like YMB is actually glowing, like it has a ora about it. It's truly magnificent. I went YMB with Silverstone interior on an m4. Still waiting in the processing stages but I cannot wait, the car will look unbelievable.


Plus, there is some truth to what one of the posters said before about sticking in/out, though I am not a flashy guy, the one thing that really daunted me about this car and the Cayman S, was the drone-like feeling some of the cars get when they feel like there a dime a dozen. All my friends either had Alpine White e92's or blacked out e92's, and while this does look good, for me it is played out. It's almost like guys take the M's and just plug them into a formula of; white/black, black wheels, tints, lower suspension, exhaust. Which again, isn't a bad thing but I just wouldn't want to be lumped into those masses, I would for sure want my car to have it's own personality and flavor. The only thing I plan on doing to my car is a piggy back tune to free some more boost from the turbos and removing the cats to achieve greater airflow. But now I've gotten off topic,


Yas Marina is great
Mineral Grey is serious

Let your alter-ego pick.

[ridin135]

Out of those colors I would go YMB. I have personally seen the M3 and M4 in every color and was stuck between AY and YMB.

[acey81]

Black sapphire / silverstone. Classy, sporty and not over the top. Gives a lightness to the interior and the bs has a very deep metallic effect.

My second choice would be silverstone exterior and black interior.

[CatchM3]

everybody and their mother is getting YMB. It's a nice color but I wouldn't say it's unique. Individual colors are in my opinion unique.

[ss134]

Saw YMB on an M4 when I went to collect my M3 last week, originally had it on order but changed to AW and thank god I did, I disliked YMB even more in the metal than the pics I'd seen on the forum.
Colour choice is always this way, everyone likes something different. For me AW is still the best colour for this car but it's not for everyone.

[Art__Vandelay]

Originally Posted by O(1)

I would go with white :

- It's the best color that shows the curves of the car.

It shows the contrasts very well, but it's flat, you barely can see the bulges and arches under certain light conditions.

[ss134]

Originally Posted by O(1)

Not true.

When I look at my rear view mirror, If I see a black or a blue M3, it's much harder for me to distinguish it than a white one. When I see anything but white, my eyes immediately go for things like headlights or the roof and only then I try to understand if they are an M3. In white, the black areas are much more pronounced, the front bumper for example is extremely visible, the power dome is much easier to distinguish. So is the wide wheel arches.

Now, in the old M3 generation, these other non white colors had this issue, but a regular 335 for example was not similarly looking as an M3. Most importantly, the fog lights for example was always part of the 335 M sport package, so you could immediately look at those air ducts and figure out if this is an M3 or not.

In the new generation, have you seen the new 435 with an M sport package and the bumper? I saw a black 435, with M sport package and black kidney grills and I swear to you, I couldn't figure out if it were an M4 or a 435 until I actually saw him from the back and even then if I saw him from say a quarter mile away, I wouldn't be able to tell. They made the M performance/M sport package parts way too aggressive in 335/435. Therefore, picking these "subtle" colors like black for example you are hiding the curves of the car.

A white M3 is an M3 from a mile away. The bumper, the reflectors, exhaust, wheels, all contrast each other so well. And obviously the carbon fiber roof looks absolutely gorgeous.

All of this aside, anything non white is a maintenance nightmare. If you are just slightly a car detailing nut, you will go crazy trying to keep a black car free. Try applying a touch up paint to a YMB bumper and tell me how that goes

I agree 100%. The F80 in AW looks so much different to an M Sport F30 at a glance it's easy to spot it as an M3.

[Art__Vandelay]

Originally Posted by O(1)

Not true.

When I look at my rear view mirror, If I see a black or a blue M3, it's much harder for me to distinguish it than a white one. When I see anything but white, my eyes immediately go for things like headlights or the roof and only then I try to understand if they are an M3. In white, the black areas are much more pronounced, the front bumper for example is extremely visible, the power dome is much easier to distinguish. So is the wide wheel arches.

Now, in the old M3 generation, these other non white colors had this issue, but a regular 335 for example was not similarly looking as an M3. Most importantly, the fog lights for example was always part of the 335 M sport package, so you could immediately look at those air ducts and figure out if this is an M3 or not.

In the new generation, have you seen the new 435 with an M sport package and the bumper? I saw a black 435, with M sport package and black kidney grills and I swear to you, I couldn't figure out if it were an M4 or a 435 until I actually saw him from the back and even then if I saw him from say a quarter mile away, I wouldn't be able to tell. They made the M performance/M sport package parts way too aggressive in 335/435. Therefore, picking these "subtle" colors like black for example you are hiding the curves of the car.

A white M3 is an M3 from a mile away. The bumper, the reflectors, exhaust, wheels, all contrast each other so well. And obviously the carbon fiber roof looks absolutely gorgeous.

All of this aside, anything non white is a maintenance nightmare. If you are just slightly a car detailing nut, you will go crazy trying to keep a black car free. Try applying a touch up paint to a YMB bumper and tell me how that goes

We probably have misundestood each other. White M3/M4 is well distinguishable from the "normal" M-sport versions, I agree with that. Especially because of the contrasts, of which I have spoken (in particular the bumper and the carbon fiber roof). I just said that it looks flat under certain light conditions, because the light reflection isn't as effective as on some other colors.

[zhoffman9]

I am currently in Miami. I'm going to call around and see who has the M3 in stock. I think this is the next step - seeing the car in person (regardless of what color the dealership has). Once I observe the car maybe then I can start eliminating some of my options. I do appreciate all of your posts so far, all of you have very valid points. For the people yet to post who read this - Please keep in mind I have a "loud" blue car now in the RS4. That DOES NOT mean I wouldn't go with YMB. I am just gathering opinions. Above ANYTHING else….I want people to know when they see the vehicle from up close or far away - "Wow, that's definitely an M car."

Until I respond again on this thread - Let's hypothetically say White is the color to go with. Mineral or Alpine???? I have ruled out black (any black). While it looks very rich it's tough to keep clean (to say the least haha) and it does hide some of the lines IMO. Please keep giving me your thoughts, it is GREATLY appreciated.

[GBPackerfan1963]

Originally Posted by O(1)

I would go with white :

- It's the best color that shows the curves of the car.
- It's the best color where the carbon fiber roof can contrast and look so dominant.
- It's the easiest color to maintain in terms of keeping the car clean.
- It's the easiest color to hide micro scratches, bumper scratches, rock chips etc.
- It's the easiest color to correctly apply touch up paint without making it look terrible.

If you are buying this car, it makes more sense to get AW because of the last 3 reasons alone. Trust me, with a black or blue car, you will be going nuts with a polish machine on your hands every month.

It's the best color for a lazy M owner who doesn't have OCD when it comes their vehicle.

[GBPackerfan1963]

Originally Posted by O(1)

Not true.

When I look at my rear view mirror, If I see a black or a blue M3, it's much harder for me to distinguish it than a white one. When I see anything but white, my eyes immediately go for things like headlights or the roof and only then I try to understand if they are an M3. In white, the black areas are much more pronounced, the front bumper for example is extremely visible, the power dome is much easier to distinguish. So is the wide wheel arches.

Now, in the old M3 generation, these other non white colors had this issue, but a regular 335 for example was not similarly looking as an M3. Most importantly, the fog lights for example was always part of the 335 M sport package, so you could immediately look at those air ducts and figure out if this is an M3 or not.

In the new generation, have you seen the new 435 with an M sport package and the bumper? I saw a black 435, with M sport package and black kidney grills and I swear to you, I couldn't figure out if it were an M4 or a 435 until I actually saw him from the back and even then if I saw him from say a quarter mile away, I wouldn't be able to tell. They made the M performance/M sport package parts way too aggressive in 335/435. Therefore, picking these "subtle" colors like black for example you are hiding the curves of the car.

A white M3 is an M3 from a mile away. The bumper, the reflectors, exhaust, wheels, all contrast each other so well. And obviously the carbon fiber roof looks absolutely gorgeous.

All of this aside, anything non white is a maintenance nightmare. If you are just slightly a car detailing nut, you will go crazy trying to keep a black car free. Try applying a touch up paint to a YMB bumper and tell me how that goes

Do you have experience in this? ....or are you assuming?

[RickMonet]

Originally Posted by O(1)

I would go with white :

- It's the best color that shows the curves of the car.
- It's the best color where the carbon fiber roof can contrast and look so dominant.
- It's the easiest color to maintain in terms of keeping the car clean.
- It's the easiest color to hide micro scratches, bumper scratches, rock chips etc.
- It's the easiest color to correctly apply touch up paint without making it look terrible.

If you are buying this car, it makes more sense to get AW because of the last 3 reasons alone. Trust me, with a black or blue car, you will be going nuts with a polish machine on your hands every month.

I thought Silver cars are the best at "hiding" the dust and dirt, hence easiest to keep clean looking? Wouldn't that mean Silverstone is easier to keep clean looking than White?

[SakhirM4]

Originally Posted by zhoffman9

Above ANYTHING else….I want people to know when they see the vehicle from up close or far away - "Wow, that's definitely an M car."

Then maybe you should choose an "M" distinct color. White, black, silver, and gray are available on any BMW. SO, AY, and YMB, for example, are not.

[Lups]

Originally Posted by GBPackerfan1963

It's the best color for a lazy M owner who doesn't have OCD when it comes their vehicle.

Packer we really need to do a photo shoot of our cars after a month or so of ownership. Just to scare the shit out of the polishing crew. I can't understand my logic with the whole process since first thing I will do is peal off all the paint with gravel and yet I obsessed abt the paint!

[GBPackerfan1963]

Originally Posted by Lups

Packer we really need to do a photo shoot of our cars after a month or so of ownership. Just to scare the shit out of the polishing crew. I can't understand my logic with the whole process since first thing I will do is peal off all the paint with gravel and yet I obsessed abt the paint!

[GrussGott]

Originally Posted by Lups

Just to scare the shit out of the polishing crew.

I'm huge on the polish:

1. I hate spider webs
2. I hate orange peel, but I guess we have to live with it
3. I hate chips, dings, scratches etc

What I don't get is, a black car is not that tough to maintain if you don't mind a weekly 30 min wash - I owned one in MN and drove it year-round.

Also you really shouldn't have to polish it much, maybe once a year (or twice if you're OCD like me).

Here in cali it costs $20/wash and they do as good or better as I could (I inspect it with a handheld light!).

[Lups]

Originally Posted by GrussGott

I'm huge on the polish:

1. I hate spider webs
2. I hate orange peel, but I guess we have to live with it
3. I hate chips, dings, scratches etc

What I don't get is, a black car is not that tough to maintain if you don't mind a weekly 30 min wash - I owned one in MN and drove it year-round.

Also you really shouldn't have to polish it much, maybe once a year (or twice if you're OCD like me).

Here in cali it costs $20/wash and they do as good or better as I could (I inspect it with a handheld light!).

Hohw the hell did you crawl into my friend list, I will never know

I'm a visual person and I just tend to close my eyes while going to my cars, since they are a mess always. My Starbucks coffee cup collection alone takes more space than people here live in. I need to grow up someday, and I so hope I can keep my new rule of no coffee in the car ever for even an hour.

[pr0gi]

what about tanzanite blue?

[ixsaves13]

My vote would be white.. Either MW or AW. I was going to order black, but it's hard to maintain without swirls.

[warzilla]

Saw YMB and MG today. I vote MG all the way. Looks gorgeous.