If you’re looking to save money on your next car purchase, “beige” just might be the ticket to a little extra green.
A beige car is 24.3% more likely to offer significant savings to used-car shoppers than the average used car, according to a recent study by car search engine iSeeCars.com.
After analyzing sales data from more than 4.1 million used-car transactions between January and August of this year, iSeeCars.com determined that beige cars are most likely to offer a deal. The site defined “deal” as a savings of 10% or more off a car’s market value.
According to iSeeCars.com CEO Phong Ly:
“Beige vehicles accrue the highest mileage of all car colors, suggesting that it’s a common color for daily drivers that tend to have less flashy colors. Examples of beige vehicles that are among the most frequently discounted include the Volkswagen Passat, the Chevrolet Malibu, the Chevrolet Equinox, and the Toyota Sienna.”
By contrast, shoppers who love the color orange might be in for a tough time. A car of that color is 20.4% less likely to offer a deal than the average used car.
The car colors that the analysis found to be more likely to offer a deal are:
- Beige: A car of this color is 24.3% more likely to offer a deal than the average used vehicle.
- Gold: 15.8% more likely
- Silver: 13.7% more likely
- Black: 4.4% more likely
- Brown: 3.3% more likely
- Gray: 2.8% more likely
- Blue: 2.7% more likely
- Pink: 1% more likely
The colors found to be less likely to offer a deal are:
- Orange: 20.4% less likely to offer a deal
- Purple: 14.9% less likely
- Red: 5.4% less likely
- Teal: 4.4% less likely
- White: 3.5% less likely
- Green: 2.9% less likely
- Yellow: 1.9% less likely
Finding a deal on a car
The iSeeCars.com study reminds us that something as superficial as color can make the difference between getting a screaming good deal or overpaying for a vehicle. But color is not the only — or even the primary — factor determining whether a car is a good buy.
As we have reported, buying a new car — instead of a used one — can cost you a fortune:
“AAA found that if you buy a new car, depreciation will cost you $3,334 per year, on average — accounting for 36% of all costs associated with the car.”
Choosing the wrong vehicle type also can be costly, as we detail in “How Buying the Wrong Car Can Cost You an Extra $3,725 a Year.”
What is your favorite car color? Let us know in comments below or on our Facebook page.
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