Opinion: Topaz Blue

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glaws is right about the color. It varies with intensity of the sunlight quite a bit. Other than the standard failsafe non-colors like silver & black which look good on anything,(I'll probably stir up something there) I think that Topaz and Imola are the current two that look best on the E46 IMO.

Of course I am biased.

rost12 said:

You sure did... *rumbles*

I didn't just spend an hour and a half washing the non-colour Silver for nothin', ya know!

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My previous E36 was titanium silver. It does look great and I almost got it on this one but it was during the silver boom when every car on the road was starting to become silver. Thought about steel grey. Probably would have gone for sterling if it had been available on the E46. But in the end, very happy with topaz.

Topaz does look a little light in some conditions. I wish BMW had a blue that was somewhere between Topaz and Orient. I love O-Blue, but it's a very dark color.

Now this is a nice blue from BMW Individual:

Midnight Blue Metallic


Probably costs a bundle to go through BMW Individual, but if you really want a particular color, why not? One thing that bothers me about my sales rep, is that he never told me about this program, or any of the BMW programs for that matter. Had I known there were more options....

I truly love the Topaz. If the Avus Blue was available on the 3er, it would have been a close call as I think Avus is a shade between Topaz and Orient.

One thing I can say about Topaz is that in contrary to general belief, it is very easy to keep it clean and does not show dust or rain spots much.

I live in an area where Silver, black, and orient are dominant; thus my topaz is somewhat rare.

geomax said:

One thing that bothers me about my sales rep, is that he never told me about this program, or any of the BMW programs for that matter. Had I known there were more options....

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He didn't tell you about it because the individual program isn't officially available in the US. In the US, a buyer has the right to refuse to buy a car they've ordered, thus creating the possibility that a dealer would be stuck with an odd color or option package that they couldn't sell. There are some dealers that are willing to work with you on getting things that aren't officially BMWNA approved (like Topaz Blue on the early 330 and 325 sedans), but I don't know of any in the US that will do individual program stuff.

Individual is available in US!!!!!

cenotaph said:

He didn't tell you about it because the individual program isn't officially available in the US. In the US, a buyer has the right to refuse to buy a car they've ordered, thus creating the possibility that a dealer would be stuck with an odd color or option package that they couldn't sell. There are some dealers that are willing to work with you on getting things that aren't officially BMWNA approved (like Topaz Blue on the early 330 and 325 sedans), but I don't know of any in the US that will do individual program stuff.

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You can get Individual colors in the US!!! Anything but Arizona Sun Metallic that is. We picked up the 02 325i in Velvet Blue Metallic last saturday. Special paint is a $2K option but it can be done.

If you rationalize it the way I did by subtracting $475 for metallic paint anyway and another $500 off due to the BMWCCA rebate, it works out to $1k more for an "Individual" car.

In addition to the Individual colors, they probably will also consider other color options, ie Avus etc.

"If you ain't askin', you ain't gettin'!!"

Re: Individaul is available in US!!!!!

aldo said:

You can get Individual colors in the US!!!

"If you ain't askin', you ain't gettin'!!"

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Good point, Aldo!

Hope to see pics of your car in the 'Showroom' soon. :thumb:

This first 330 I ever saw was Topaz Blue and I feel in love with the color. The sun was out and I stood in front of it in the grass at the dealership and looked at the aggressive front and I said thats it I want that color, and haven't changed since. I too got alittle scared when I was doing the paper work in the show room and there was a Z3 sitting there I asked the guy what color that was and he said topaz blue I said no way thats too dark. I got alittle scared.... but that part of the room was pretty dark I never did check to see if it really was topaz blue. I don't regret the choice though all the pictures I see in here of FlyingToasters and TopasBlue's cars are sweet Do they sell Topaz blue on the z3???? What about other bmw's which cars can come with that color?

Topaz330xi said:

glaws is right about the color. It varies with intensity of the sunlight quite a bit. Other than the standard failsafe non-colors like silver & black which look good on anything,(I'll probably stir up something there) I think that Topaz and Imola are the current two that look best on the E46 IMO.

Of course I am biased.

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No respect for Orient Blue? :dunno:

That's fine, I like the fact that I haven't seen another one since I picked up my car at the lot and Mike's (aka: OrientBlu 330Ci) car rolled off the truck with mine.

Topaz seems to take on a lot of the characteristics of the sky. On an overcast day, it seems to deepen to a dark grayish blue, while in bright sunlight it's a somewhat subdued royal blue. I've seen a few topaz coupes over here in the East Bay (including one or two in the town where I live) and I like the color a lot. Silver and black are the more common colors in my area, but topaz seems popular too. My last two cars were black, so I wanted a light color for a change.

Rufus330Ci said:

This first 330 I ever saw was Topaz Blue and I feel in love with the color. The sun was out and I stood in front of it in the grass at the dealership and looked at the aggressive front and I said thats it I want that color, and haven't changed since. I too got alittle scared when I was doing the paper work in the show room and there was a Z3 sitting there I asked the guy what color that was and he said topaz blue I said no way thats too dark. I got alittle scared.... but that part of the room was pretty dark I never did check to see if it really was topaz blue. I don't regret the choice though all the pictures I see in here of FlyingToasters and TopasBlue's cars are sweet Do they sell Topaz blue on the z3???? What about other bmw's which cars can come with that color?

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yep, the z3 comes in Topaz:


(Atlanta, Topaz and Montreal from left to right)

geomax said:

Now this is a nice blue from BMW Individual:

Midnight Blue Metallic

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geomax, I saw the color in person, couldn't stop looking at the car. It's gorgeous.

I agree with all the above opinions.

Topaz can go from deep, almost navy blue on overcast days to a pretty stunning royal blue to almost a light blue (close to Estoril).

Topaz is a nice colour,

but since it is a somewhat light colour, opinions on it may vary. It seems not so many people choose it, silver and black are more popular, hence a topaz is more individual. The problem with individual colours is that you most probably have to choose it from a catalog unless there is one sample in the showroom. Even if you see it in the showroom the colour of a car changes a lot under sunlight, in the evening etc. an individual colour when it arrives may not look like exactly what is expected. The first time I saw Topaz also I really felt this was my colour, then I started to hesitate, and looked carefully at Topaz cars running around in town, now I am decided and will soon get one.