Quote:
John H said:
Easy - I share your agony!
I know you're currently swayed by Fanch's slate beauty, but there's a few considerations which spring to my mind.
1) Slate is considerably more expensive. Could this extra cost be better spent on some other luxuries?
2) Slate/black would probably do better at re-sale but, as you are keeping the car, is of little consequence.
3) You had been totally hooked on a cocoa interior for some time - just read your previous posts.
4) Slate/cocoa is not an option, they simply clash.
5) You previously put forward a very convincing argument for arctic/cocoa, even against GT silver (for UK use). Has this rationale changed that much since your experience with slate?
6) Arctic/cocoa is more individual than slate/black and therefore more likely to reflect your personality. It's also probably easier to maintain.
Of the two, for you, I've voted for arctic/cocoa. I think the long-term consideration you've given to this choice outweighs your recent knee-jerk reaction. 
Just my opinion FWIW. John 
John H,
I'm completely speechless. You really have understood EXACTLY what I've been thinking all along the way. Thanks so much for your very perceptive observations.
Now let's see:
I've been agonising over options and colour combinations since the start because I'm planning to keep the car for a very long time. I don't want to make a decision which I will regret later.
Yes, seeing slate grey in real life was a real eye opener. It's completely and utterly gorgeous. Such a subtle, sophisticated, understated but rich colour. It's the opposite of flashy.
Since I was a teenager I have loved dark metallic grey...the kind you would see, for example, on an Aston Martin DB9. When I was 13 years old, I used to daydream about buying a dark metallic grey BMW with beige leather upholstery.
I should point out that slate grey was the first colour I ever considered in Autumn 2004 (yes 2004!) when I first started thinking about changing my car.
I went to OPC East London in Autumn 2004 and I was literally bowled over by the beauty of a 997S I saw in seal grey. I later took a brochure home and decided that slate grey was perfect. I never liked the look of the 996 that much but the 997 really appealed to me. It just looks so much more contemporary...P just brought the 996 up to date.
Anyway, I delayed ordering a 997 until February 2006 for various reasons. It just wasn't the right timing for a variety of financial and personal reasons.
In the time between Autumn 2004 when I was thinking about slate grey/seal grey and GT silver, I thought about all sorts of practical considerations. Eventually I decided arctic silver was the best for me.
I have to say that my love for arctic silver is a combination of 'head' and 'heart'. Perhaps a bit more head than heart. Maybe one should choose a colour ONLY with one's heart. I need to be absolutely smitten by a colour and be able to love it for a LONG time since I am planning to keep this car for a long time.
BTW I saw a Cayman S in slate grey with black interior 2 weeks ago while I was walking along in Canary Wharf. I literally stopped in my tracks and my jaw dropped open. It was THAT good. I didn't act upon that 'lightning bolt' though (i.e. by changing from arctic silver/cocoa to that combination).
1) Yes, slate grey is about Pounds1000 more than a normal metallic colour. I've already paid for my various holidays this year. I can't think of anything else I would like to lavish some money on! My wife wants to decorate etc but that can wait till 2007. So, all in all, I don't mind the extra cost.
2) Yes - slate grey/black might fetch more at resale than arctic silver/cocoa but, like you said, since I want to keep the car for a very long time, this factor becomes pretty irrelevant in my case.
3) Yes, I've been hooked on cocoa for a long time. I still am. I may have to make a sacrifice though if I want slate grey more than I want cocoa. I posted a thread with a poll asking whether cocoa and slate grey go well together. About 60% of votes said yes. That's hardly resounding. But my own heart told me that cocoa and slate grey could work but not perfectly whereas slate grey and black really go great together. (In fact, I think black is a better choice with slate grey than even stone grey or natural grey). Conversely if I find that I still love cocoa more than slate grey then I will have to choose arctic silver. Either way, I have to make a small sacrifice.
4) I agree - as stated in 3) above, slate grey and cocoa don't go well together. I wouldn't put it so starkly (i.e. saying that they 'clash') but certainly it's not a natural fit. Greys go with black. Cocoa is a warm brown. Black and brown don't mix. [Would you wear brown shoes with a black suit or black shoes with a brown suit? Come to think of it, would you ever wear a brown suit at all in the first place?? I don't think so!
]
5) Yup, I argued against GT silver for UK use. We don't have enough sunlight to reflect off this darker, duller silver. I would love to choose GT silver if I lived in a hot, sunny country. As for the rationale, well, it hasn't changed. It's more a question of whether I give priority to what my heart wants and I simply put all those rational arguments to one side or whether I stick with what my head has convinced me over a long time. One of the essential things I said to you before was 'I really need a change'. I currently have cosmos black which is a metallic black pretty similar to basalt black. As such, I wouldn't want black, basalt black or atlas grey. But slate grey is sufficiently different for me to feel that I am having a real change from metallic black.
6) I think slate grey and cocoa as colours are equally 'individual'. I think arctic silver and black are equally mainstream. Yes, as for reflecting my taste/personality, you're right, I love the silvery grey/mocha brown combination. I even have Hulsta bedroom furniture in this combination. I really do love it.
As for keeping the car clean, yes, one of the main reasons for choosing a silver car has been to make the job of keeping it clean a bit easier. I also like the idea of having a 'gleaming' silver car. It will look great when it catches the sunlight (I write that while it's raining oustide right now <<smiles wryly>>)
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BTW one other advantage of choosing slate grey/black is that I could pick either silver grey seat belts or red seat belts. I think red seat belts could look really good with slate grey/black because of the red brake callipers as well on a 997S. I think silver grey belts might look a bit too subdued in a slate grey/black car whereas silver grey belts should look great with an arctic silver/cocoa car. What do you think? Would red seat belts go well with slate grey/black?
Is this a rash, impulsive, knee-jerk reaction which I might regret later?... Maybe.
I think the sudden re-discovery of my strong attraction for slate grey is definitely a reaction to seeing Fanch's gorgeous car and re-visiting my 997 photo collection. I think the best thing I can do right now is to bide my time and just let the right decision become apparent to me. I want to see whether my urge to get slate grey fades. In the meantime, I will just sleep on it until one morning I will just 'know' the answer inside me. I am sure I still have at least another month or two to finalise my choice.
In fact, I think OPC East London have a slate grey 997S (with XRR wheels and natural grey leather) on display. I think I will pay them a visit. I'm sure they have arctic silver on display or in their car park so I can compare them for real side by side again.
Thanks again for your post. I really appreciated it.
For me, it's definitely a choice between these 2 combinations. 
