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How much does a full paint job cost?

34K views 16 replies 13 participants last post by  roadsterrage 
#1 ·
Got a black RL with blk/red interior, but im literally dying for a chilli red pepper with blk/red interior.

I still have 3.5yrs to go on my loan, and owe about 19k so buying an 08 red with blk/red interior would set me back 1.5yrs and a few thousand, so i figured it'd be cheaper to just paint mine.

How much would it cost to paint my car chilli pepper red? since my car is black, does it make it more difficult?

thanks
 
#3 ·
There are paint jobs....and then there are PAINT jobs. I would think a good paint job change of colors with factory durability and look would run you over a thousand, and perhaps several thousand.
 
#4 ·
Yea, i figured 2-3k?

the way i look at it is, if i were to sell my current RL, with the high mileage (28k and counting), and few lil imperfections here and there, i'd be lucky to get 23k for it, of which i owe 19k. An 08 RL (used) would prolly cost me around 28k(?), and i'd put the 4k i netted out of my car, and i'd end up owing 24k, over 5yrs, effectively losing 5k plus the present value of the extra 1.5yrs of payments id have to make.
 
#5 ·
I guess you guys have not had a car painted for a while. There are a lot of paints that are $300 or $400 per gallon. To change a new car from black to red and do it right.......................$5000.00 to $8000.00 would not surprise me. Think about under the hood, the door hinges, the trunk lid area. Trade the car for a new one.
 
#6 ·
Yeah, a good body shop gave me a guesstimate of $5-7k to do it right.
 
#7 ·
Wwell some of ya'll have seen the type of work my brother in law and I do out of our shop, we guarantee our work for life and we make sure that there are not tape lines and everything looks back to factory, an good paintjob thats durable and was made with GOOD materials will run you in the neighbor hood of four to seven grand
 
#8 ·
That is the kind of work you want done, work by a guy who does restoration body work. You can probably find a "collision", or "body and fender" place to do a full paint job for $3K, but you do not want to see that paint in 3 years.

To do that job right, you need to strip that car down to the bone, sand, a good primer job, then minimum 3-5 good coats, 3 coats clear.

So if you do decide to go for a custom paint job, it would be stupid to do a factory color. I personal would do like a pearl white, or Candy Apple Red. Either would compliment the Red Interior and you would have a unique car.....like the Pink Panther in the above thread!:thumbs:
 
#16 ·
I was quoted 1K.. So I put a 3M bra over it to stop any more damage cold..:D
 
#11 ·
darn, i had no idea a paint job was that expensive. I've only had 2 cars in my life, my old Stratus i had for 7yrs and now the RL, so never had to paint one.

Seeing this, you guys are right. I'd be better off just trading it in for a new one, or just keeping mine the way it is.
 
#13 ·
Inexpensive and Cheap are not the same thing

I had a car painted about 20 years ago - price seemed very reasonable - and form a distance it looks pretty much okay - but they did things like overspray the radiator and used silicone adhesive to put the chrome trim back on around the wheels. I cannot really complain because they did the work on my car after having negotiated a fixed price to paint a different car - and it they had done patched up the body and painted it then (after which I had some undercoating done) the body today would likely be shot. In effect I consider what they did just a temporary measure to halt any further degradation - and if all goes well the car will get a full frame off restoration with proper paint starting in a few years from now.
 
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