i was told that a new paint job(total color change) isn't worth your money. They told me the new paint will be more likely to be scrated. Anyone has done this before? Thanks.

Justin,
Changing the color the car came from the factory is a bad idea unless you are doing a frame-off restoration. Since I doubt that is the case with your situation, I would advise against it. If you are repainting the same exact color the car came from the factory wearing that would be one thing but please don't try and change the factory color.

As for repainting the same color as factory...you can do it, but preferably only as a last resort. Ask your local dealer or indpendent how much they reduce the trade in value of your car if it has been repainted. Though there are bodyshops out there that can perfectly match (or in one instance, exceed) factory paint, they are VERY few and far between. Most bodyshops, especially the "pricepoint" ones, will not do as good a job as the factory. The paint will not look as good (orange peel), it will likely have more minor defects (fish-eyes, runs, etc), and the color may not be a perfect match for the other panels. (color coat to clearcoat thickness/ratios being off) If you have to repaint, then repaint. If you don't, then I would advise against it. In any case, don't try changing the color of the car.

Hope this helps...Lee

Justin:

What Lee also might have mentioned is that if you try to change the color of the car from the original, then you will have a car with one color on the outside (which you can see all the time), and another color on the inside door posts, on the inside of the engine compartment, on the inside of the trunk, etc. etc. This means that anyone looking to buy your car will wonder why there is a color change, and will suspect that you are trying to hide something or that you were cheap in repainting the car, and took it to a fast-paint store for a $200 paint job.

This will not help your resale value, nor your resale ability, for most potential buyers will RUN, not walk, away from such a car.

Only a professionally done, VERY CAREFULLY MASKED paint job will make your car be worth MORE and not LESS.

So listen to ol' Lee; he knows what he speaketh of..........Andras

Along these same lines, I plan to have my 1986 2.3-16V re-painted to the factory color #199 (Pearl Black) sometime in the future. Work to be performed by a shop that does paint jobs for concours vehicles. Tho' I won't be spending the MANY thousands of $ for a concours-type job, I expect to pay around $5,000-$7,000. In your opinions (any reader with experience), would this price-range (given a very reputable shop) result in a "nice" paint job? Would one expect to have trim pieces removed for this price-range (as opposed to "masking")?

Thanks for feedback!

Brian

Brian:

I am not a painter of cars, but a $5,000 paint should indeed have the trim removed, the glass removed, and all the pieces carefully shot. You want to avoid overspray, that dreaded indicator that your car has been repainted. You can't avoid overspraying the engine, for example, by just removing the trim. You have to mask it and the wheel wells, and the wheels, and the bottom, etc. etc.

When you see what the paint shop has to do to expend labor in preping the car, prior to painting, you will appreciate the time it takes, and therefore, the cost. As with all things in life, preparation is everything, and sometimes it is even more labor-consuming than the actual painting.

And then they have to put it back together again - a long process. A good paint job is not for the faint of heart, nor for the unprepared. And it definitely is not cheap if you want it done right.....Andras

Brian,
In addition to what Andras has already mentioned (good points I might add...) another critical step in attaining the factory quality (or better!) paint job is to block sand the car between primer, color, and clear coats to reduce orange peel. For a bodyshop to repaint the factory color to factory or better standards should run in the $5K-$8K range. Maybe even higher... Michael (the rabid one) has some friends in the bodyshop industry, he might be able to provide some useful insight. In addition to the masking, trim removal, sanding between coats, etc having a shop that professionally removes any "spray marks" in the gascap, engine bay, doorjams, etc is crucial to keeping that resale value as high as possible.

Hope this helps...Lee

Andras/Lee:

Thanks for the insight! I will use your wisdom in generating a checklist to use when I begin "interviewing" candidate paint shops. Priority one, though, is getting the car in absolute top mechanical shape, including all aftermarket enhancements. I don't want to end up with a car that's all show and no go.

Brian

Brian:

You're a man after me own heart......

I really worry for the young kids out there who think "looking good" is more important than "going good". Much like the difference between Harley guys and Sport Bike guys, but let's not go THERE today.......Andras