Need inputs_whole car color change on a budget

[aodioxp]

So I got this maroon GS several months ago. The paint on it is not bad, some scratches with a tiny spot of clear peeling.

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Want to paint the car white but I'm on the budget. $500 max. so here are the options:
1. Plasti-dip it matte white using dipyourcar.com pro kits(3-4 gallons)
2. prep the car and sand all panels with 600 sand paper then scotchbrite to scuff it. Then find some place to paint it cheap(oh, maaco....)
3. prep the car myself and rent a paint booth then paint it with those online $200 2 stage paint kit.

2 and 3 will be expensive and involves supplies such as sand paper, sander/buffer, bondo, primer. and I got no bodywork experiences...
plan to keep the car for 2-3 years before I got a job. what you guys think?
Update: Thanks guys! I am glad I came here before I did something regrettable..I decided not to paint it. do not like the rubbery close look with plasti dip. Looking at vinyl wraps right now.

 

[idoceclipse]

In my opinion if you're going to do it, do it right the first time. If your going to get rid of the car in a few years i wouldn't waste your time and money because the car looks super clean. $500 is going to be a tight budget to do it the right way but it can be done if you do everything yourself. Plasti dip is cheap but it looks cheap so that's up to you.

 

[Miasma]

O man I love that maroon color, could you give the paint code if you know it.

I've painted lots of cars, and even with cheap paint 500 is tight! What is your plan in terms of painted the engine bay as well? If you don't have ambitions to keep this car for a long time, than painting it might not be worth it. A car painted without a matching engine bay decreases the value big time.

Typical cost of renting a paint booth is 75/hr. Factor in masking tapes, paper/poly will add in another $100ish.

Honestly to paint your car and have it look good your looking at atleast $700. Plasti-dip paints are ok, but they look dull. So in the end its up to you.

 

[Fitzi722]

You can get enough 3M vinyl wrap to do the whole car, plus adhesive, gloves, squeegees and a heat gun for about 500. It is time consuming but comes out looking real nice. There's another thread going around that talks a lot about it and has links to how to do it. I'll see if I can find it again and repost it. But go to metro restylings website to get some prices.

 

[aodioxp]

In my opinion if you're going to do it, do it right the first time. If your going to get rid of the car in a few years i wouldn't waste your time and money because the car looks super clean. $500 is going to be a tight budget to do it the right way but it can be done if you do everything yourself. Plasti dip is cheap but it looks cheap so that's up to you.

you are right. Really don't wanna destroy the paint, though its not the color for me.

to get good results, plasti dip gonna cost $400. I doubt it will last over a year.

I dont know how those $200 paint kit gonna hold up. Are they gonna crack?

O man I love that maroon color, could you give the paint code if you know it.

I've painted lots of cars, and even with cheap paint 500 is tight! What is your plan in terms of painted the engine bay as well? If you don't have ambitions to keep this car for a long time, than painting it might not be worth it. A car painted without a matching engine bay decreases the value big time.

Typical cost of renting a paint booth is 75/hr. Factor in masking tapes, paper/poly will add in another $100ish.

Honestly to paint your car and have it look good your looking at atleast $700. Plasti-dip paints are ok, but they look dull. So in the end its up to you.

Thanks! I think I will not risk repaint and ruin the car then... Where to look for paint code? checked door latches, nothing there.

You can get enough 3M vinyl wrap to do the whole car, plus adhesive, gloves, squeegees and a heat gun for about 500. It is time consuming but comes out looking real nice. There's another thread going around that talks a lot about it and has links to how to do it. I'll see if I can find it again and repost it. But go to metro restylings website to get some prices.

really? I thought plasti-dip gonna outgun vinyl wrap now. Tried to vinyl the roof and failed...the bumper can be really hard to wrap. Really appreciate it if you can find the link~

 

[Fitzi722]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=460060

I'm gonna be doing this sometime this summer to my gsx. Helped a friend do his mustang over the winter. It is time consuming and really works better with 2 or 3 people but looks great when it's done and doesn't ruin the paint.

 

[Joethefallen23]

I've seen nothing but good things from plasti-dip lately. They have that "pearlizer" they just released recently. Gives the plasti-dip a glossy pearl finish when applied with the top coat. They also have a "glossifier" you can apply as well. For a kit as cheap as $400 (they include an electric spray gun) on DYC, You really cant complain. Don't like it? Peel it off. There's a video on youtube where he takes an 1800psi pressure washer right to it and it doesn't peel. Just saying, you can't always count something out just because its cheap.

 

[wmrcs]

I probably wouldn't even bother painting it man.. looks decent and if you're selling it then I wouldn't.

 

[WES_393]

Your paint code is P75 "Barcelona Red Pearl".

I'd suggest leaving the paint alone. With a budget of $500, your not going to make it look better than it does. It'll likely end up looking worse and decrease the value.

 

[Turbosnatch]

Looks nice as it is. Just touch up the bad bits. You will get more money in a couple of years for a clean original looking car than one with a cheap paint job. Let's be honest you really do get what you pay for when it comes to paint jobs