Cheap Paint Job before sale???

[Flipz]

Hi,

I am thinking of selling my Eclipse but it has a lot of body chips on the paint from bad parking, scratches etc. So I was thinking of giving it a cheap paint job before I sell it to cover these things. I am trying to decide between Maaco and Earl Scheib. I will be getting the very basic one I can get..

I would like to hear your opinions about it - is it a smart choice to do it, I mean would the cheap paint job look at least decent for the sale and if so which one of these two is better or there are other good options up to 300 bucks (I am located in the Whittier area).

Thanks a lot,

Svetlin

 

[EDM95]

I will tell you this like i know every one else will so i will say it first search first.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80379&highlight=macco

 

[IIv SHaDoW vII]

No such thing as a good paint job for 300 bucks unless you have a friend who is very nice and will paint your car for free if you pay for the paint. But hey, I dont blame you man, youre getting rid of the car why pay for the crazy quality for someone else to sport. Here is my experience with maaco to help you out.
About 3 years ago I had a cavalier with a fiberglass front bumper.. I got the 300 dollar basic package, whatever.. Painted at first, the car looked amazing.. Everything was great.. about 2 weeks later, the paint started to literally chip right off of the fiberglass. The rear bumper being just plastic had the same problem.. So IMO, I dont think they use any flex additive to accomadate for the bumpers being bendable.. Aside from the spider cracks in the bumpers, the rest of the car still holds the glossiness perfectly to this day, 3 years later.
So now that you heard my opinion, heres my advice. I think you should talk to them, or someone who has gotten their car painted by them in your city.. On my car particularly, I dont think they did horrible work, its pretty shitty but its worth the 300 bucks for a presentable car. From far away it looks nice.. but up close you can see all the chips and cracks in the bumpers and skirts.. but all the metal parts are still just fine. With this being said though, this is the job "I" recieved.. Any paint job is going to be different from what I have read about Maaco, some claim to have problems with the paint fading, or having run spots on the metal, some claim the 300 dollars was worth every penny and the car is flawless, I personally didnt have any problems other than the bumpers. I really dont think its that bad though.. you do get what you pay for, remember that.. but for what youre doing and assuming your getting it painted the same stock color.. I really doubt your going to have a major problem.. I cant stick up for them really since they do have the worst reputation, but like I said above... why pay out the ass for someone else to enjoy a $1000-$3000 paint job..

 

[roadrunner2176]

If your selling the car, why paint it. Your only going to cover the dents and dings making it look even worse. Clear coat will make everything show. Every little dent and ding will show up 10x more than before the paint. Leave it alone, or make the buyer a deal stating x amount of dollars for the car you will matche if they want to paint it. If they don't want to paint it, than drop off 300 dollars from a car you've priced 300 dollars higher and let them think your lowering the price.

Basically it comes down to prep, you've got dents and dings and just covering it up will make it a pain in 6 months when those chips underneath start to bubble and it needs to be done again. Remember theres things like lemon laws which could apply here, their more for mechanical, but have been used for other things as well. So either it gets done right the first time, or your going to spend 4x more having it done the second time, which comes back to lemon laws stating that any repair cosmetic or mechanical from the previous owner amounting to 50% or more the vehicle cost is justified for owner buyback.

Its your choice, but being honest and willing to work with a buyer will keep them off your back later down the road.

 

[Project2G]

Do you have any pictures you can show us of the way the car currently appears? I see your from Whittier. You should come to our dsm meet in Norwalk every Monday night.

Starbucks/Target Parking Lot
10600 Firestone Blvd
Norwalk, CA 90650

9PM

FYI: A good local forum is www.ladsm.com

 

[Flipz]

Yeah, I have some pictures. I am attaching some with this thread. My concern is the rear bumper, otherwise I wouldn't have gone for a painjob but it looks really bad and I am afraid I won't be able to sell the car at a good price because of that.

Your opinions will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Svetlin

 

[Project2G]

I don't think you should pay the money to repaint the car. Even with a new cheap paint job your not going to get that much more for the car. Just my .02

 

[Flipz]

But do you think a cheap paint job will cover these chips, dents and cracks? I am only concerned about it because people many time look at the exterior more than the car itself since for old cars it is important to be in good body condition as well as engine condition and many people lower the price mostly for dents found here and there on the body.

 

[Project2G]

But do you think a cheap paint job will cover these chips, dents and cracks? I am only concerned about it because people many time look at the exterior more than the car itself since for old cars it is important to be in good body condition as well as engine condition and many people lower the price mostly for dents found here and there on the body.

Well let me ask you this. What are you more concerned about? Selling it quick or the amount of money your going to get for the 99 GS? How much would you set the price at as the car is now and how much for if there were no body damage?

 

[Flipz]

I checked KBB and it showed $7100 as a Private Party with the 116K miles, All Power, Navi, Viper alarm, so I was thinking of starting it at $7,000 with a dropdown to $6,600-6,700 most likely. With this imperfect exterior I am thinking it would hardly even sell for $5500-$6000 because of the mental picture one would get seeing a car that doesn't look well outside. With a paint job of $300, covering these imperfections I am thinking the value of the car would be closer to the KBB one since interior is incredible and everything is working perfect.

Do you think I have a good logic about it or I am completely wrong, this is my first car and the first car I am selling so I am not very experience in the process.

Regards,

Svetlin

 

[roadrunner2176]

When I see those pictures I dont think bad image, I think bad driver. And paint good or bad wouldnt sway my decision. So what happened, slight sideswipe, backed into a thorn bush? Just giving you a hard time, but looks ugly and tells a story. The back bumper is bad, but the fender rash is what makes it worse.

So basically you want to mask the fact that the car has rubbed and backed into a few things. A cheap paint job will not hide any flaws with the car. To properly fix these imperfections would cost closer to 600 to sand them out and blend the paint color with the rest of the body.

 

[Talesin]

Actually, I'm a LOT more cautious about buying a car with a fresh paint job. Fresh paint says 'parted together and painted'.

 

[Flipz]

Yeah I know - I might not be the best parker - the fender I got scrapped on my garage door when getting the car out one morning, the bumper is like that for many times - some bad parking, one time on the freeway I got pushed a bit as well, and I never got to fix these since I was in need of money and the insurance money always went to other things. But I am thinking of paint it out just to cover these, I know it's not the best idea with a cheap paint job but it might give the buyer a better look for the car. Will give it a try, I hope the results aren't that bad. Do you think my price is ok though or I should lower it a bit?

Regards,

Svetlin

 

[red_devil]

Have you tried wet sanding and buffing? it will make the car look at lot better.

 

[Kyogie12]

NOT MAACO! They do a terrible job, they often don't prime or prep. So they just spray right over your current paint :/ it chips after a week.

There IS a solution to a cheap paint job. It's called "The Poor Man's Paint Job" or Rustoleum Paint Job.

Poor Mans Paint Job

I just did that on my 94 Prelude that was a two tone blue and white. I painted it black and after 6 coats and 18-20 man hours or so it was done! Total price was 71.48. If you have the time to spare do it yourself, it's worth it. I used a foam brush instead of a roller, and looks just as nice!

 

[Kyle_T]

this thread is from 2007...

 

[rock1t]

NOT MAACO! They do a terrible job, they often don't prime or prep. So they just spray right over your current paint :/ it chips after a week.

There IS a solution to a cheap paint job. It's called "The Poor Man's Paint Job" or Rustoleum Paint Job.

Poor Mans Paint Job

I just did that on my 94 Prelude that was a two tone blue and white. I painted it black and after 6 coats and 18-20 man hours or so it was done! Total price was 71.48. If you have the time to spare do it yourself, it's worth it. I used a foam brush instead of a roller, and looks just as nice!

bringing back a old thread rocks.

the beretta in the link above is awesome.

 

[Kyogie12]

Ha my bad...i didn't check the timestamp

 

[fallenangel]

NOT MAACO! They do a terrible job, they often don't prime or prep. So they just spray right over your current paint :/ it chips after a week.

There IS a solution to a cheap paint job. It's called "The Poor Man's Paint Job" or Rustoleum Paint Job.

Poor Mans Paint Job

I just did that on my 94 Prelude that was a two tone blue and white. I painted it black and after 6 coats and 18-20 man hours or so it was done! Total price was 71.48. If you have the time to spare do it yourself, it's worth it. I used a foam brush instead of a roller, and looks just as nice!

I'm going to do this myself.....thank you for the motivation!