Overhaulin'

Why is it cheaper to buy a new car than to repaint one?

I've looked around and saw that if you want a perminant paint job that won't fall off after a few weeks the cost is 3 to 5 grand. My car is only worth 3 to 4 grand. Why would I go through the trouble of getting a paint job, if I can go out and get a new (used) car for cheaper! If anyone knows any different, I'm trying to get a paint job on my car to black perminantly for around $200-$500.

Public Comments

1. I don't know where you are getting your info but 3 - 5 k is pretty steep for a "permanent" paint job. 99% of paint jobs are permanent and if there is a MAACO somewhere in your state they should be able to give you a semi decent paint job for around $500 - $1000. The paint wont just fall off, it just wont be all super nice and shiny like a brand new car. :) EDIT: The $3000 - $5000 number you are hearing may be for like the "top of the line" paint job. There are varying degrees of paint quality and there are some paint jobs that will cost that much but most do not. Sean: I got a brand new saturn Ion that was black in 2004 and it cost around 14k. are you saying that 10k of that was because my car was black? Your friend must do EXTREMELY meticulous work for Ferrari or something. I think the asker is looking for somewhat of a cheaper paint job which is why I referred him to MAACO not Lambo Paint Jobs inc. lol
2. First, good luck paying 200-500 unless you have the equipment yourself. I'm not a car guy, but I had my car repaired last spring when I hit a deer. The body shop owner was nice enough and gave me some information on why things where expensive. When your paying for a paint job, remember your not just paying for the paint, but also the labor and the facility they do it in. Painting a vehicle where it won't look like crap and will last, has a lot of work involved in the layers put into it. Your also paying for them to mask your car, set the details, and the time it takes to hold the parts for them to dry in a clean environment. If your don't want to spend the money for a professional, you would always use a garage, some masking take, newspapers, and some Krylon, but have fun using like about 2000 cans. Edit: I do agree it shouldn't be costing 5k. maybe more like 1000-2500 tops.
3. Good luck. Best bet is to buy primer paint and hardener and do it urself
4. If you can get a good black paintjob, just plain black, for $5,000, you are getting a deal. A friend of mine is a painter by trade, and he won't touch a black paintjob for less than $10,000. The reason is, black shows EVERYTHING. It takes a very skilled body man to paint black and have it look good. A good paint job requires a lot of work. It starts with stripping all the old paint off the car, removing as many dents as possible, filling in the dimples you can't just pull out, sanding the car down to remove high spots and other imperfections, primer, then color, wet sanding, clear, wet sanding and finishing. All those processes take time, and as anyone in the business world knows, time is money. A cheap paintjob does nothing more than the guy sands down the old paint a little, then paints over it, without fixing any body imperfections.