Experience having cars painted?

[Memornix]

I am looking for a late 90s subaru impreza to build as a fun toy and am very partial to the rally blue color of the era. Problem is, finding the right car in the right color is almost impossible so I considering buying one in a different color and having it painted. That being said, I have never has a car painted before but I have seen some bad paint jobs and want to avoid them if I can.

So here's the question. If I am having a car painted from white to blue for example, and I don't want to open doors, trunk or hood and see the old color, is this something body shops will handle. Basically, with the understanding of you get what you pay for, how much masking, disassembly, etc can I expect without paying both arms and legs? I am willing to pay for more than a Maaco paint job but mostly curious I am in for and what my expectations should be.

Also for what it worth, I am not interested in a wrap.

[Grendel]

Yup, a good body shop can handle that without an issue. Just be sure you are clear with what you want. The cost to have the door jams and visible trunk area is not that big of a deal and will not cost a huge amount but under the hood is a PITA and may cost a fair amount. If you just want the tops of the fenders painted under the hood that should not be too bad but to get down in the engine well is pure hell unless the engine and trans are pulled. Just go to a good shop (I recommend multiple) and talk with them and have their estimate broken out by area.

[cougar20th]

You may want to stop at some shops before you buy and talk to them to get a idea of cost for the various items. Painting isn't cheap and I know several people who's projects have stalled at "I can't afford to have it painted".

Most body shops should be able to do what you asking. Doorjams etc aren't a big issue. They may or may not want to do the engine bay.

Some shops only do insurance work. Not walkins.

As someone who occaionly paints cars for fun i can say painting a engine bay with the engine and wiring in the car is my least favorite. To much grease and crap to spray around. And no space.

[Memornix]

You may want to stop at some shops before you buy and talk to them to get a idea of cost for the various items. Painting isn't cheap and I know several people who's projects have stalled at "I can't afford to have it painted".

Most body shops should be able to do what you asking. Doorjams etc aren't a big issue. They may or may not want to do the engine bay.

Some shops only do insurance work. Not walkins.

As someone who occaionly paints cars for fun i can say painting a engine bay with the engine and wiring in the car is my least favorite. To much grease and crap to spray around. And no space.

I actually had this idea over the weekend. I am going to start shopping shops before buying the car and also get their feelings on light rust repair. I am not building a show car by any means, but I do want something nice.

[mueller]

Ehh....
A proper paint job inclusive of color change should easily cost 5K+, any less and they're skipping something. It's hard to justify that vs. expanding to a national search, flying around to look at cars and be ready to walk away from them, be patient, find a car that matches what you want, avoid color change. It takes time man, the right car can take years to find.

Source: >20yrs of hobbyist auto, have both painted myself & hired to paint.

[Chuck E Ducky]

$5k+ for any decent full color swap. Anyone charging less is going to cut corners.

Unless you do all the prep work yourself it would be much cheaper for you to hold out and pay premium for exactly what you want.

I don’t recommend a full color swap unless you have experience with body work and can do most of the prep work yourself. Especially if you want a factory color that’s already available.

I would wait for the right car and just pay premium for what you want. It’s not worth dropping $5k+ into a 90s Subaru it will never be worth what you put in it especially if it’s been painted another color.

[Tarsun2]

plasti dip ?

wrap the car ?

[Tarsun2]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSGi52lRLqE

[Morgenstern]

“Light rust repair” on an old Subaru is exactly what the paint shop is going to want to hear from a customer :-) I second waiting to find the one you want. Once you pull off the plastic trim to inspect that light rust you’re going to end up welding in patch panels if you want a nice new paint job that will last. From experience, if it has any rust on the rockers or quarter panels those aren’t a sand and prime over fix like it might appear initially, so it’s worth waiting to find the color you want and from a place that doesn’t salt or even have rain ideally.