browned off (or things in life that i completely fail to understand #9)

I don't know about you, but I've begun to notice that brown cars are beginning to make their presence known on the highways and byways. Well, I say brown, but more usually the colour might better be described as sludge. In various shades of, depending upon the manufacturer.

Now each to their own and all that. And I admit men do reach a certain age (let's just say that it's when we're past our procreational best) when we answer the call of corduroy in just such a colour. In trousers mostly, although the designers amongst us would prefer to go the whole hog and we hanker after a suit. Preferably from Old Town.

But to choose to have your car that colour – that's altogether on another scale, isn't it? Now I know from recent experience that manufacturers only offer a very limited range of colour options these days, and that not all of us want the liability of pristine white or the anonymity of silver. But it completely mystefies me why anyone should go into a car showroom and think "that model would look so much better if it were the colour of diarrhea".

So, if you should be so tempted, I'm here to remind you that brown cars (and all shades thereof) were a bad idea the first time round:

Don't let that salesman persuade you otherwise.

Comments

[GerrySimons]

It really is good to find you back here having a good moan. I did have a bronze car back in stone age - rear wheel drive Toyota. Bronze was the description but it looked brown in most light conditions. It may well have been the rust coming to the surface though.

[davidthedesigner]

You perhaps need to think of me as being like an old actor, Gerry – mostly resting these days, but popping up every now and then to attend an audition. Waiting for my 'Downton Abbey' moment, as it were.

[Conceptstore]

I'm not so sure. I've seen a few selected cars that actually did look good in brown (or maybe I'm getting old :)).

I think the shade of brown is also a factor. The one above (hyundai) seems to be a dusty grey/brown which is pretty horrible.

Deeper, richer, reddish browns tend to look better.

[Ella]

I'm not sure it's anything you can lay at the feet of "men of a certain age" - I'm a 29-year-old woman, and, honestly, I quite like these brown cars. I think they look smart, more understated - certainly better than a lot of the garish colours often available. I went to buy a Scenic the other day, for my family of 5 (plus dogs) and one of the colour options was brown - I only didn't end up with it because they could let me have a blue one the same day! Perhaps it's a strange 2000s thing? Who knows? I'll be interested to see how this trend develops!