You don't need to get a used one, just because you want to "influence" the look and think it's a shame to do that to a new one. Your new one won't stay new for along, that's a promiss! I got this one in september of 2004, and flew to portugal in october of that year. Guess what? They putt stickers on the chair to make sure it'll get to the right airport. Guess again; you might be lucky to get them off without leaving anything on, but as allways that seems to be the case for every other sticker than the one on your chair.
Using it in any type of car and not putting it in the trunk yourself? Ouch ouch for the look of the chair. It'll get bumped, pushed, chuffed, you name it! Especially cab-drivers tend to do a "kill the chair"-attempt most of the times. The color of my chair isn't painted on. That makes the chair about 1 kilo heavier (and therefor that bit more difficult to move around). I wanted this color-combination anyway and it turns out they do this one standard in a special way so that the color isn't ON the frame, but IN the outer part of the frame. It doesn't add any weight to the chair, and it makes it way harder to damage the color. It can't chip, you'll have to dig a whole or line into the chair before loosing the color. People manhandling the chair will definately do that for ya!
You can see the damage on the upper curve at the front of the frame. The silver lines; that's it.
If you ever do opt for a Colours one and don't get it through a Colours-dealer, just a tip; don't start out with a Zephyr as a first ever Colours chair. They're great, the lightest ones around but the downside is that to many sizes aren't ajustable anymore after it's been made. With a first chair, that's plain asking for trouble. The dealer in our country plain refuses to sell a Zephyr to a "first timer", seen too many problems. And did you know the Boingg yet? Great chair! The one posted is a Spazz, but I would love to get a Boingg after this one. (don't ask me how I'll ever pay for that one! Won't get it covered for even a penny as I've got a powerchair now, but it would be nice to have a "boincing" chair for the plenty moments a powerchair just doesn't come in handy)
Just be aware of a side-effect that a Colours chair comes with; you'll get recognized and greated all over the world by other Colours-believers. I've been around the globe in my chair, and I can't even count the times I've been greeted or even shouted at from across a street by complete strangers who also happen to be Colours-users.
Also; shop around!!! You can get great prizes by just looking around. For instance, in 2004 this chair in the way it was back than (other fabric, no lights, other cushion etc.) had a retailprice of €5000,-. That would be doing it the normall way overhere; ordering at the local place that deliveres and does all the work on the chairs that are covered. However, I called the dealer and went to them. Turns out if I buy the chair from them, and not from my local supplier, I get the discount they would've gotten. And 25% is a lot of money! Downside to it; the dealer doesn't come to my place if I need a repair, I'll need to go to them. For me that's no problem at all. The local supplier wouldn't have any knowledge of this chair, so probably would sent the chair to the dealer for the smallest things anyway. This is a lot quicker, simpler and the chair needs very little maintanence or repairs. I do about one check up per year, and that's it. I had a couple of flat tires, cabdrivers have killed some of my brakes (well the elastic in them) and that's it. My dad can do about 99% of anything that could possibly come up, so the 25% off was a great deal. I also keep getting the 25% on any parts, new fabric, whatever I fancy this time 'round.
Most funny part of it all; the chair is made in America, than flown into Holland, where I get it. However, back than the chair was cheaper overhere than it was if I ordered it from Colours America directly. Just goes to show how much you can save if you shop around.
Especially those discounts! In our country it's very standard to have a discount percentage for the middle man, I haven't found a brand yet that doesn't do it. It isn't standard to go straigth to the dealer yourself, but it is an option. Turns out that a lot of brands than will offer you the discount (or at least a part of it). If they work with this kind of standard-discount-for-middle-man in your place also, it can be very worth while to contact the dealer and bypassing the middle man.
,well I'm 48, so I tend not to dress up my chair but I have seen some cool things done.
I ordered mine from the place I got my wheelchair, but you can also get them online. 
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I don't need a chair but if I did, that is what I would want
