As odd as it may seem, orange, yellow and green vehicles depreciate less than conventional white, silver and black ones, according to a recent study.
ISeeCars.com analyzed the sales of 1.6 million 3-year-old cars of all colors and came to that conclusion. It found that the average depreciation of the vehicles was 29.8 percent over a three-year period.
Orange cars depreciated 21.6 percent during that time, while yellow cars' value fell 22 percent, and green vehicles dropped 24.5 percent.
Meanwhile, white cars depreciated 29.5 percent, black vehicles dropped 30.2 percent, and silver ones fell 30.6 percent, the survey found.
Phong Ly, CEO of iSeeCars.com, thinks the Life Savers colors often coat low-production sports and muscle cars — vehicles that don't sell in big numbers. With a smaller supply available, resale prices tend to be higher and firmer.
"Not only do these colors appeal to many of the buyers in these segments, but these cars are driven less — most likely because they are not used as daily drivers," Ly said.
Buyers shopping for more conventional colors have a lot more choices and consequently, "sellers may not have as much pricing power," Ly said.
Gold vehicles showed the worst depreciation of any color, falling 33.5 percent over the first three years.
