OCMusicJunkie

Red fades like you would not believe. My old Miata faded enough over one Summer that I could tell the hardtop no longer matched after removing it from storage.

Just to note, I don't think you can really compare yellow cars from the 80s and early 90s to those of today. The paint and clearcoat quality is simply much better.

Silver_S2000

Well I used to own a red jeep cherokee...and it NEVER had any fading issues...But I did wax it at least once every two weeks...The paint on that thing was flawless...It was a 1994 model and looked like it had been repainted it was so shiney when I sold it in 2003...However my buddy had a newer jeep cherokee and his paint looked like ass...he never took care of the truck and the paint faded in a matter of years....This goes to show that if you take care of your car ..(wax,wash) the color can last for ages.

vroom

1995 E36 M3 Dakar Yellow I fades quite easily. It didn't have clearcoat! From 1996 (I believe it was mid year production) they went to Dakar Yellow II which is a little darker and does have clearcoat.

Mine is a '97 DYII and I've had it 8 years (duh). It sat outside during the day at work from 98 - 2002, then at home as well when the S2000 went in the garage.


...it hasn't faded.

age

I'm a painter at a collision shop. Red fades quicker than most colors. UV
rays break down the pigment. Some yellows have weak pigments also. If you keep you're finish protected you should'nt have any problems. Another variable is the pigment a particular paint company uses. I refinished a rear bumper on a vw beetle, it was the light green, and it had faded horribly. Took me a day just to match the color. A couple of weeks later I passed the vw dealership and they had 3 beetles sitting in a row. None of them were the same shade. It's best to keep your car waxed and protect it from those uv rays
you should'nt have any problems. Unless you have a green vw beetle.

mbilderback

Yes, red will discolor and fade quicker than any other paint, just due to pigment issues as age said. Keep them waxed. Also, red likes to oxidize on you too. Yellow is probably close to having a similar issue due to its light color pigments, but I don't think it is as bad as red.

Elistan

My g/f has an NFR that sits outside at work all day in the Texas sun, and I haven't noticed any fading whatsoever in two years. She Zaino'd it last weekend and it looks as deep and rich as it ever has.

rmc22

Red will actually get a little darker before it fades. Check inside the door and places that don't see sun. It'd be different for plastic on places like the bumpers and especially mirrors. Best bet is to follow the advice above.

If you're really concerned about fading, stick with the light colors. Otherwise, the car isn't going to fade noticeably until it's time for a respray anyway (if you plan on keeping). I'd worry more about chips, scratches, rust, etc. before fading.