We recently bought a new cr-v for my wife. We were looking for either a blue or red one.
Local dealer had 92 to chose from. White silver gray and black were the only choices. Using car gurus to search you could find hundreds within a reasonable distance, as long as you didn’t want red or blue.
Dealer said Honda sends them the cars they want them to sell. Not sure if that’s accurate or not, he said they got 5 clarity models at the same time and they were all white.
Are we the only people who want some color in our life? We managed to find a red hybrid that was on its way to the local dealer.
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Honda used to offer a few other colors on the CR-V, one in particular I really liked but apparently wasn’t popular enough called Mountain Air. My dad’s 2019 CRV Touring was specifically chosen in a color I refer to as clear coated gravel road dirt (drive it down the gravel road a few times and the black trim dissapears) He was more interested in getting the interior color, the same as when he bought his 2007 CRV which was more of a champagne gold color. Local dealer has almost 150 CRV’s with 12 being Red.
Mom would agree with you on the lack of color choices on dealer lots, but she’s now owned 2 white cars in a row, would have liked to get a “happy color” but to find a new 2010 Prius that wasn’t already sold limited the color choices and white was the one that she didn’t hate with a passion.
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We all have our complaints. I don’t like black in CA heat, had one, never again.
Also hate the popular Aqua Blue that some have and seems like any time I find a good deal, that is the color.
My other issue is interior colors. They are all black for the most part. I guess Honda offers some biege but I don’t like the CRV anyway. But as much as I know all black might not show dirt as much, I want a better ocular experience where I am spending hours driving.
And here I thought our family’s 1956 two-toned Olds was white and dark gray. Aha, it was Polar White and Juneau Gray Iridescent. 
And our 1965 Olds wasn’t merely gold colored but in fact Mohave Mist Iridescent.
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I like gray car interiors. Easy on the eyes, doesn’t get overly hot in summer, doesn’t fade.
My first car, 1973 Corolla, had an all black vinyl interior. It got darn hot in summer such I kept beach towels folded double on the seats to keep from literally burning my legs and backside.
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I guess in the old days you would just order exactly what you wanted and 4-6 weeks later it came on the truck. Now we just pick black mostly which is in stock. No point ordering anymore with the standard option packages and waiting 6 months.
But I think back to the 54 Ford in Sky Haze green and the two tone 57 Ford in black and yellow, and the 58 Chevy in Baby Blue or something, and the 61 Chevy in Sea Foam green. Then the 61 Merc in metallic green. But yeah a lot of choices back then and the manufacturers spent a lot of time on the colors that looked good on certain models and the appropriate interior colors. They must have fired all the designers and just decided to buy paint in bulk like Henry Ford did.
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Early 1950s Caddys had a shade of green I really liked as a kid. I so wanted a car in Cadillac green. Alas, when I was old enough to have a car that particular shade of green car paint wasn’t to be had.
I’d love a jewel toned deep red car with gray interior but on the three cars I’ve bought I’ve contented myself with white exterior and gray interior on two of them and with one gray and gray in between. That first hand me down car with the black interior had white paint.
Same here, most of the cars on the lot are white, black, or 50 shades of grey.
Playing around with build and price on the websites often there is an up charge for the color I like. Then when I add an option package I have to change the color! Of course I am just playing , by the time I’m done I find I need a winning powerball ticket.
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No, you are not. However, if you continue to rely solely on which vehicles are already sitting at dealerships, then your selection will be limited. Since 1996, I have special-ordered all my vehicles, and by doing that I was able to get the exact paint color that I desired.
Of course, doing a special order of a vehicle is only practical if you can wait for a couple of months for its delivery. If you need a vehicle immediately, then–yes–you will be limited to what exists on dealers’ lots.
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We also like colors , hardly ever see a red like is on our 2010 Volvo . I wanted a small car and bought a Ford Fiesta with a paint called Magnetic ( Dark Grey ? ). Not one I would have gone looking for but I actually like it . Since vehicles are not distinctive much anymore I care more about the interior and operation of controls now.
Salesman even said if they get a red or blue one in it’s gone in no time. We got lucky finding a red hybrid in the trim she wanted. Just had to wait a few days for the truck to get there.
We bough a used Audi A4 Quattro in Florida in bright red. Most for sale were white and they disappear in traffic. My wife would have been happy with Day-Glow orange or Hot Pink for visibility’s sake… but red was fine with her when we found one.
I believe that Honda, or any manufacturer, sends whatever the dealer orders. Dealers order whatever they think will sell, and if you want something different, you order it. They might try to make you pay list price, but that’s bull. If you order a car, there are no storage fees. Dealers pay a couple percent of the invoice cost each month to hold the car until someone buys it. Then they pay for the car after they sell it.
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+1
But, years ago, that might not have been true!
Back in the mid-60s, Chrysler offered savings on their “Silver Specials”.
Dealers were flooded with silver-colored Plymouths and Dodges that few consumers wanted in those days.
Afterwards, it turned out that Chrysler was able to get a s**t-load of silver paint at a bargain price, and they decided to force those models on their dealers just to make a few cents more on each sale.
The dealers were NOT happy that those largely-unwanted silver cars sat on their lots for an extended period of time.
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While I like a bit of color (my wife’s Tucson is a lovely shade close to cinnamon), ultimately vehicles are fairly utilitarian. When we bought my Corolla there were three identical ones on the lot, gray, white and gold. We bought the gold one but I would’ve been happy with any of them.
Reembering a used car salesman decades ago, green cars do not sell
I’m one of those people who HATE either a Black or White vehicle. Any other color is fine with me. Color is down on my list of priorities when I’m looking for a new vehicle.
I do not like green or brown vehicles… at all.
Blues, reds, black, silver and even white are OK. Black is off the table now that I live in Florida, just too hot.
My red sports car got lot of notice from the law, my silver sports car was invisible to police.
Color is such a personal thing. To each their own. I LOVE green vehicles. But that’s just me. My wife prefers Silver or Gray vehicles. My oldest son LOVES black vehicles. My Daughter loves Red or Maroon vehicles and just absolutely HATES blue.
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