[jerry_nj]

We have a 2004 low mileage (55,000) Subaru Forester. It is in generally good shape and has only minor parking lot damage to the left front fender. This damage is slight enough (and was done by a hit-and-run parking error) that I'd consider just living with it. Not much paint lost.

However, my wife has taken to the new Forester in Blue. Our Forester is Platinum (or silver...) and the thought crosses my mind of having the fender repaired and rather than go for a match up there, just get the whole car painted in the latest Forester Blue.

I have not yet checked with some local shops, but must admit I have not idea what it costs for a basic paint job these days. Is this something in the $1,000 range, or is it a lot more?:dunno:

I did a search on this forum and didn't find anything on painting cars.

What was that old in-and-out car painting outfit that used to be real cheap? I wonder if they are still in business. EDIT: Maaco is the name I was trying to remember.

 

[Cat385B]

To do a total exterior re-paint, without doing the inside of jambs, inner fenders, rear hatch innards, inside of doors? Probably 2 grand. Above 3 if you want everything done.

MAACO will do it for $450. They will remove nothing, just mask it off. They will chemically clean the car, prime it and paint it, and bake at 150 for 45 minutes until it turns blue.

Most likely my prices are too low, it's been a few years since I was around the auto body shop.

 

[ED CASO]

7Yrs ago I Had thempaint my 55chevy door jambs - trunk - under hood- and exterior I had entire car clean no crome no bumpers lights ect... The finish product was very good. I would get good feed back on it all the time about its shine it all comes down to whos doing the paint at the shop and how good they are the cost was around $750 I also gave the kid $100 on the side prior to starting and told him to give me a nice job.He was young just out of trade school i also think he liked the car
ED CASO

 

[jerry_nj]

Thanks, the ceiling I'd pay is impacted by what I would have to pay for a new Forester in Blue (or any other factory color). I did check a couple of weeks back and think it was in the neighborhood of $22K, so I'd say $2K- $2.5K would about all I could consider as investing in an 8 year old car. I'm the original owner, so I know the car use and maintenance history.

I can't say I see any need to paint under the hood or in the trunk. Not sure what they are now, but if Platinum/Silver, that works with a Blue exterior in my mind. I'm not even sure I see any need for painting any interior surfaces. I'll go out and sit in the car and contemplation the colors. That is something that hadn't crossed my mind, thanks for getting my thinking on the right track.

 

[Cat385B]

I did check a couple of weeks back and think it was in the neighborhood of $22K, so I'd say $2K- $2.5K would about all I could consider as investing in an 8 year old car. I'm the original owner, so I know the car use and maintenance history.

You have 55 thou on an 04.............no major worries on that year of engine...

Your set-up, with proper maintenance, is good for 250,000 miles.
I had a 98 Outback, and an 01. Ran the first up to 285,000; and the 01 up to 275,000. Had really good luck with the 98, the 01 had 3 grand in work done to the motor, drivetrain, and electrical in the last 100,000. The issues I had with the 01 were supposedly fixed after.

Does yours have the 2.5?

 

[Team_Green]

IF you repaint the whole car.. BUT not the door jams and under the hood and trunk deck lid.. you will have a harder time selling the car unless you drop your price a fair bit more then the other Subarus sell for..

 

[s10lowrider1994]

To do it right would cost you a nice chunk of change. I wouldnt touch it for under 3 grand just because of the amount of work involved. A complete color change on a newer car is very time consuming to do correctly. Not doing the jambs and engine bay defeats the whole purpose in my eyes and it will destroy the resale value. A corner cutting paintjob is worse than leaving the damage IMO.

 

[jerry_nj]

The one item I am not concerned about is the resale value. I "driven 'em them til they drop". This car will be 8 years old next month and so the resale value is way down regardless of the condition.

The issue that made me consider this is a couple of months ago my wife came back to the store parking lot to find the levet front fender had two scratches with some depression, perhaps 1/2" at the most. Very little paint is missing. The remainder of the car has a good paint, it has been a garage parked car since new.

I figured to get the fender repaired would be over $500, but not enough over to make me use my car insurance. The car has an accident free history, and any claim puts my low insurance rate at risk. I then recalled my wife previously asking if it was time to buy her a new car, she liked the looks of the 2011 Forester in Blue. Strange, she never liked Blue in the past, and never pushed for a new car before her car was much older. It must be affects of age (on us).

 

[rscurtis]

I recently got an estimate to repaint my '83 Mercedes. The RR door had a crease in it when I bought it, and the paint on the car is not good enough to be matched. The car will have to be stripped to bare metal. With me removing everything possible from the body to reduce masking, the estimate is about $4K, and that's for the same color.

I agree with others on the color change, don't do it. If you want a blue Subaru, trade yours for one already that color. Save your money on the Maaco, in a year or two the paint will be shot.

 

[s10lowrider1994]

If you plan on keeping it and dont care about the resale value you could probably get it done a lot cheaper than what I quoted you if you just want whats visible painted. Painting a car is a very broad subject and carries a variety of methods and opinions so it really depends on what you want quality wise and how much you want to spend. I'll give you my two cents but my opinion may or may not reflect what you desire. I'll just go through it how I would if I were you.

If you dont use good products it's not worth doing because you'll have an end result that probably looks worse than it did when you started. A lot of guys swear by Maaco but the products they use suck. Most of their employees can spray alright but your at the mercy of the products. Might look amazing when it rolls out of the booth but it will look like crap in a year or two.

So the first decision you have to make is how much you are willing to spend on materials. A basic base coat clear coat system will run you around $500 in materials. Dupont Chroma System works well and it's on the cheaper end of the spectrum. Stay away from the single stage stuff that lures a lot of guys in by price. It's cheap for a reason and if you keep the car long enough you'll find out why.

Your second decision is how much of the car you want sprayed and how much you can do yourself. If it were mine I'd replace the fender myself as well as strip off as many parts as you can before taking it to the painter. The more I have to take off the more I charge and most shops are the same way.

I'd venture to say finding a painter who can do it on the side would be your best option. You may me able to get everything with the exception of the engine bay sprayed for pretty cheap if you search around.