Missoula’s Favorite Car Colors Mirror National Preferences

Maybe I'm in a small minority here. But I am a "happened-to-be" car color purchaser.

If it's the style I want and at a price with which I am comfortable, then the car's color takes a back seat. But as it turns out, my latest purchase definitely makes me status quo.

The vehicle I purchased earlier this year is a great example. I wanted a small to midsize SUV. I had a budget in mind and was looking for primarily a get-around-town kind of second car (read "older model").  As with color, I am not a brand-loyal vehicle customer, either. But it would be interesting to survey Missoula car dealerships to see how important the right color is.

This year's acquisition "happened-to-be" white. The last purchase a few years ago "happened-to-be" red. So, how much does the color figure into your buying decisions?

According to a website called iseecars, Missoula's favorite choice for vehicle color is indeed white. In fact, 40% of U.S. states say the same thing. For Missoula, that color grabs a whopping 27% of the city's market share. The national average is 26.2%

Black and gray are not terribly far behind, taking 19.7 and 18.5 percent shares respectively. Five colors fall under the one-percentile radar: beige (0.6), orange (0.6), purple (0.3), gold (0.2), and then yellow (0.1).

One question that came to mind for me concerning Missoula is, what about maroon? There have to be loyal Montana Grizzly sports fans who seek out their favorite team's school color. It is nowhere to be found on the local or national charts. But then, perhaps iseecars considers it to be part of the red family, a color favored by 9.2% of Missoula drivers.

Rounding out Missoula's top 10 after white, black and gray:

4---Silver

5---Blue

6---Red

7---Brown

8---Green

9---Beige

10---Orange