New owner, first question

I finally took posession of a wonderful 2002 Guards Red 996 C2. See enclosed video clip of my car, on what I did the first weekend of ownership. (Quality sucks, you'll need quicktime). Needless to say, my face muscles are still hurting from all the grinning I have been doing. I have a question regarding car covers. The general favorite seems to be CoverKing's StormProof as sold through Pelican (based on a search), while the #2 seems to be the Evolution 4 covers (for outside protection against weather and dings). Q1: My dilemma is color. Is it better to get something bright, draws lots of attention like red (reduce theft?, fades faster?), or something blah like grey that no one will notice? Q2: How long do the StormProof covers last? The bulky Evo4 seem to last about 4 years before they start shredding. I also want to take the opportunity to thank all the listers in guiding me towards this car. This forum contains a wealth of information! I intent to contribute wherever I can. Thanks.

Congrats on getting the car. Good for you for getting a cover. A lighter color cover is better - silver or gray or beigh. They do not retain heat and will hide an bird poop. Don't worry about looks of a cover since it's not designed to look good unless you are using it indoors. It'll get dirty, poop on. A regular shake out of cover is good to avoid scratches. Wash it in an extra large washer (front loading type) at laundry mat every 3-6 mo. with a little car wash detergent to keep it clean. Air dry it on car or in backyard afterwards. I've had my evolution 4 cover for 3 yrs now and beside an exhaust burn mark, there are no excessive wear. A tight fitting cover that is regularly cleaned will protect the car's finish like new. The only problem is that you'll have to keep the car clean as that's the only time you can put a cover on. That'lll motivate you to keep the cover on and wash it often.

Welcome... Do you plan on parking your car outside during the day and just want a lite protective cover or is your car going to be kept outside all the time in all seasons, etc? If its just during the day then a light colored, lite weight cover would do nicely, beyond that, IMO, they can be more trouble than they are worth...much of your decision will have to do with how you plan to park your car over long periods and what type of weather you encounter. Here in Portland it rains a lot...the PacNorthwest in general is very wet and you may not want to cover it all the time.

The cover is used while it sits outside at work during non-rainy days. We have lots of trees, sap, needles. I usually do not use a cover when it will rain. The car is garaged except when the garage is used for remodeling work in which case I'll leave the car outside with the cover rain or shine. I also cover it when taking a trip because it's a good theft deterrent, diminishes the chance of dings and scratches.