bondcounsel

I've searched the archives and have read plenty about Santorin Blue on A4's, S4's, etc. What I want to know is how does Santorin look on an A6? I have a chance to get a '99 A6 below invoice (since I plan to own for a long time, resale value is not important; warranty and price are), but only in Laser Red or Santorin Blue. My preference in car colors is for something classy. If I had my choice, it would probably be Silver or Melange. Of the 2 '99 colors available, the Red is totally out of the question. Some of the comments in other forums about the Santorin Blue are that it seems to change color in different light conditions. If anyone has experience and can provide details, I'd be extremely grateful.

P.S., my practical side says get a used '97 Lexus ES300 and drive it into the ground; should I go with inspiration (the A6) or the cheaper, more practical alternative?

Lora

I have a 99.5 Santorin Blue A6 with melange interior. At first, I wanted melange exterior, and when I see them on the road, they do look very classy. BUT, that color is SO common, with every other Camry and similar class car these days using similar colors. Rental car companies like the beige/bronze colors because they don't show dirt. Santorin Blue does show the dirt and is harder to keep clean, but is a much more classic look than I would imagine red to be. I had to see one for myself, before I was convince however. Then it grew on me.

bondcounsel

Excellent point about the Melange; in fact, I was close to buying a used Lexus ES 300 until I too came to the realization that although the lines are great, the car is to common looking because of the white/beige,etc color scheme. Can you help with my question about how Santorin Blue looks in differing lights? Thanks for the input.

Rick Foster

Regarding your question of a used Lexus ES300 vs. a new A6: Sounds to me like it's primarily a question of money. The Lexus would be a lot cheaper and still fairly reliable. But it wouldn't be nearly as luxurious or sporting as the A6, nor would it have AWD for getting home safely in the snow.

I faced a similar sort of question (but with different alternative car choices) and ended up ordering a 2000 A6 2.7T. Good luck either way.

Mike Owens

I own a '99 Santorin Blue A6 Avant and can tell you that it is by far the classiest color you can buy on an A6. I've received numerous positive comments re the color.

Re changing colors in different lighting conditions, I've never seen this on my car.

Somewhat difficult to keep clean (not as hard as black though). Hand wash the car or go thru a touchless car wash and you'll be OK.

Stuart

My 98 A4 Avant is Santorin, as is my neighbor's 98(?) A6. Depending on lighting, it looks almost light blue through very deep Navy. Very pretty when you see a side transitioning through several shades.

It's very hard to keep clean, though, & the dirt kinda spoils the effect.

My new A6 is melange (similar color to my old 5000TQ), because here in SoCal the dark car gets hot inside, and my favorite color (Pearlescent white) is now special order only.