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Color Palette
Car Color Choices
Color Changes
Paint Quality
Paint Samples
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Color Palette

Paintwork and Colors

Please note that the colors depicted in the table below are not exact and won’t print out on a color printer in a way where you can compare an actual car to this representation. The chips below represent colors so you can make comparisons.

Car Color

Certain color combinations also encourage buyers to pay a premium. Although this is personal preference, certain colors seem to offer enhanced “value” when it comes time to resell the car:

• Polaris (silver metallic) with blue interior
• Chamonix (white) with blue interior
• Schwarz (black) with any interior – Schwarz was so rare that any 2002 that was originally delivered in Schwarz where the original paint is intact in the trunk, engine bay, door jams, etc. is a real treasure.
• Verona (bright red) with black: red seems to be a strong seller regardless of the era. Therefore, an original Verona red car usually commands a premium.

Personally, I have some different favorites. I am not a fan of the dark greens (commonly – but mistakenly – referred to as “British Racing Green") or any of the oranges. However, people are starting to recognize that the 1960s and 1970s generated some daring colors. Therefore, collectors are starting to recognize certain 1970s colors as representative of the time. For example: Taiga (a medium, metallic green), Colorado and Inka (a creamy and bright orange respectively), and Golf (bright – almost fluorescent – yellow that can look almost green) are en vogue. In fact, many enthusiasts that own these colors feel very passionate that their color is – of course – the best choice for an 02.

I used to be in the anti-Golf camp. But I found a real gem in a garage here in Orange County CA that I couldn’t resist. So, I bought it. The original paint was still in excellent condition. After more than 20 hours of hand polishing, that Golf was like the day it came off the showroom floor and it was brighter than the sun. I discovered very quickly how much I love Golf yellow. It really is a super color to own.

The bottom line about color choice: try to buy a car in the color you want (don’t change the color) and know what you don’t want since the choices are incredibly diverse.

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Color Changes

Paint color changes - I really deduct for color changes or very personalized paint schemes.  The hardest thing to do is to sell a car with a lot of custom work that is not period correct or is highly personalized – just ask some of the hot rod builders.

Another exterior item that concerns me is different shades of the same color.

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Paint Quality and Originality

In my opinion, cheap paint jobs deduct from the value of the car. I would rather have an original car with “patina” then a newly repainted car with a poorly executed paint job.

Some telltales for bad paint:

• Paint overspray on old, cracked windshield/rear window gaskets;
• Paint overspray on bumper brackets and covers;
• Paint overspray on trim or rubber gaskets taillight gaskets; and
• Anything else that is easy to remove from the car or should have been replaced when the car was painted.

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Color Samples

Here is a general listing of all colors available

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