996Outpost.com

I love my Guards Red 996TT. I wouldn't dream of doing a color change on it. But . . . from time to time, my mind wanders back to a car that I was really interested in before I bought my red car. In fact, had the seller of that car replied to messages quicker, I'm 95% certain that I would have bought it as I was looking at it before my red car came on the market. Here's a couple of pics of the car in question: Don't recognize the color? That's because it is a BMW color called Atlantis Blue. It's pretty close to Cobalt Blue, which was my first color choice (Guards Red was a very close second). You just don't see many Cobalt Blue 996TTs. Then, with the black interior, that's a true unicorn - I've never seen a Cobalt Blue over Black 996 stateside. So, since I wanted Cobalt Blue over black, this car was a great option. This car started out as silver over black. The car was keyed badly, requiring a repaint. The seller commissioned a "build" on the car, to not only change the color, but also add some 997 parts: the seats, the bottom 3/4 of the front bumper and a couple of other things.

This car was for sale in September 2015, which was about the low point of the 996TT market value. I believe the mileage was around 65,000. Seller was asking $33,000 and I was certain based on comments he made that he would have been happy with $31,000. He seemed to understand that the color change and other mods made the car more difficult to sell and hurt its value.

So, here's my question for the group: Under what circumstances would you consider a color change? I understand the option to wrap a car, but I'd like to discuss a true color change and ancillary issues like value drop, resale, etc.

kcattorney wrote: ↑Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:49 am Under what circumstances would you consider a color change?

I personally think a color change on a car like a 996 Turbo only makes sense if:

• There is a color you just must have...
• It would be virtually impossible to find/buy a car in that color...
• The cost of a really good paint job is a non-issue...
• The potential reduction in original value even after investing a sizable amount isn't an issue.

I would never do a color change other than a wrap.

I got a black Turbo Cab because the price was irresistible.

I'd kill for a Zanzibar Red Turbo Cab, but they are hen's teeth. I researched and found a vinyl wrap supplier that matches OE colors, so Zanzibar is doable as a wrap. But the price is triple that of standard wrap material and it's thicker, so not just every company can install it.

So I'm living with black and would consider a variety of bright colors - if I could find a pleasing wrap material. Most 3M and Avery wrap colors look cheap to me.

The more I see wrapped cars, the more I like the idea. Around here (flyover land), the cost for a good wrap is around $3,000. At that price, it doesn't make sense to do a color change unless you are having the car repainted anyway - like if it got badly keyed.

Tech - I really liked your speed yellow coupe, but I understand speed yellow kind of wears on you with the attention it draws. You kind of went the other way with black. So, doing a Zanzibar wrap would be fun on your car. But, I understand in SoCal that you're looking at around $5k for a good wrap.

I've thought about wrapping my car instead of respraying the front bumper cover, hood, and rockers...in addition to hiding the issues that are present, I assume the vinyl would cut down on stone chips, sand damage, etc.

I would stay with black, though - which makes me reluctant to proceed (paying several grand to make the car look no different)...

Again, to each his own, but I wouldn't change the original color. Part of the problem I see is that when people have the color changed, they cut corners and don't cover (or wrap) all the original painted areas (around door, engine bay, etc.). It's like people that show their tan lines. (see pic)

Uggh, just threw up in my mouth a little.

NM.

Looks like there is a build thread and video dedicated to the blue car's repaint. Very thorough work by the looks of it.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996 ... 996tt.html

Kalashnikov wrote: ↑Tue Apr 10, 2018 4:15 pm NM.

Looks like there is a build thread and video dedicated to the blue car's repaint. Very thorough work by the looks of it.

https://www.6speedonline.com/forums/996 ... 996tt.html

Yeah, that build thread is actually how I got ahold of the seller because no one would answer voicemails left at the phone number in the for sale ad. So I reached out via a PM on 6speedonline. Turns out the owner was in Peru on an extended business trip and his brother was supposed to be fielding the calls from the ad. But, brother was playing in a rugby tournament and was blowing off the messages I left. By the time owner got brother to call me, my current car had come up for sale, and the rest is history. I never got to see the car in person. Ironically, both this blue car and my current car were located in New York City. Even though I was committed to the red car, I was very tempted to go see the blue car when I travelled to NYC to view and buy the red car. If anybody ever sees the blue car, I'd love to find out what happened to it and would strongly consider buying it now (at the right price) as I've never seen a cobalt blue 996tt and think this Atlantis Blue looks fantastic.