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You get what you pay for. Paint job for a beater daily driver? That would be fine. Corvette paint job that looks as good as factory? Go to a reputable paint shop.
If you want a quality paint job, you're likely going to pay more than the car is worth for it. Mine was painted by Maaco for 1100 by the previous owner with a minor amount of flaws, most of which will come out when I wet sand and buff it when I get the chance. My buddy paid 5,000 to get his Commemorative edition C4 painted. His paint is the same quality as mine. He also has another C4, which he had painted by Maaco for 700, which looks pretty good except for a few flaws. My father helped a friend restore a 67 Coronet, also painted by Maaco for 700. That one surprisingly had 0 flaws.
The key to a good Maaco paint job is to do the prepping yourself. I think they are only allowed to use 1 1/2 scuff pads on the whole car. One thing you have to remember about Maaco, they paint all day every day. So they have a good amount of experience when it comes to painting.
I'd also recommend taping up the car yourself too.
You can also purchase a higher quality preparation from Maaco if you choose to do so, and different painting methods.
I've often considered this. I have painted a camaro before but it makes a mess. The new paints aren't good for you or the environment (unless waterbased maybe). My point is that I don't have a paint booth. Can you paint in a garage or shop, yep, done it. I would love to do the body work then trailer it to Maaco and have them shoot it. I'll even buy the darn paint. I was pricing paint guns lately and you can have Maaco shoot it for the price of a good Sata gun.
If you want a quality paint job, you're likely going to pay more than the car is worth for it. Mine was painted by Maaco for 1100 by the previous owner with a minor amount of flaws, most of which will come out when I wet sand and buff it when I get the chance. My buddy paid 5,000 to get his Commemorative edition C4 painted. His paint is the same quality as mine. He also has another C4, which he had painted by Maaco for 700, which looks pretty good except for a few flaws. My father helped a friend restore a 67 Coronet, also painted by Maaco for 700. That one surprisingly had 0 flaws.
The key to a good Maaco paint job is to do the prepping yourself. I think they are only allowed to use 1 1/2 scuff pads on the whole car. One thing you have to remember about Maaco, they paint all day every day. So they have a good amount of experience when it comes to painting.
I'd also recommend taping up the car yourself too.
You can also purchase a higher quality preparation from Maaco if you choose to do so, and different painting methods.
Thanks for the info. I always appreciate real world experience as opposed to those who will just post that "Maaco sucks", "you have to spend at least 5k for a decent paint job", etc with nothing to back it up. So with proper prep you may be able to get a good paint job done by Maaco. Good to know for future reference.
MAACO is pretty good for the money. It depends upon the painter they have (or shows up for work:*****) Look at the cars they've just shot. Make sure you get the full base coat/clearcoat, and not the "integral clear", which is just single stage with hardner/gloss additive. Prepping yourself is a good idea, concentrate on the crevices and areas that are hard to get to (they tend to get skipped over by the $8/hr preppers). As far as paint guns, Harbor Freight has some pretty good cheap guns ($15-$40) that work just fine unless you are a pro painter...most amateurs would never know the difference. Yeah, they are throw-aways, but you'll spend that much in masking tape and paper.
Cheap paint job for a DD, yeah maybe again if I had to. I used them on a 4Runner and the prep work was nonexistent, so it looked cheap and started to peel after about a year.
It all depends. I had the local Maaco paint my 07 coupe and they did an awesome job for ~$1000. Now I have to say that I have known the owner for years, used to work with him in the Navy, and he has a Viper that he SCCA races locally. I would let his shop paint any of my vehicles, except my CVO Road King. That's only because of the fusion grind / marbilized scheme would difficult to duplicate.
Cheap paint job for a DD, yeah maybe again if I had to. I used them on a 4Runner and the prep work was nonexistent, so it looked cheap and started to peel after about a year.
Prep is like 90% of a good paint job so if you do that part yourself and do a good job at it I could see where a Maaco paint job could turn out pretty good.
Hmm, i might prep the car and take it to Maaco then, i need a paintjob bad, but didn't want to spend more than $2k on it for my daily driver/cruise-in vette.
Maaco shops vary from city to city. I have had several cars painted at the local Maaco and have recommended them to others. Very good quality for the money. Don't know how they would do on a Corvette. For what many of our cars are worth, it might not be a bad option if you know that the shop is good.
I've had Maaco do 4 or 5 cars over the years, You do the prep and get the best paint job they offer ( not the one stage enamel). Here is my DD after 3 years of no garage also. Never been waxed. Couple of flaws, but the reality is, 2 months after it was painted, some lady backed out of a parking space and hit the bumper. Said she didn't see the car. Maybe I needed a brighter color! I wasn't really upset, but I sure would have been if I had spent $5k on paint. All depends on what you are going to do with the car, trailer queen to shows, then spend the money, drive the hell out of it, do the prep and let Maaco do the paint. Just mask off anything that can't be removed!
I got a question for you guys. Should I put in my new interior first or get it painted with it out of the car? I'm going to have it painted the exact OEM color on a Admiiral Blue 1994 LT1
I would like at the minimum take off the following in addition:
1. The rear bumper.
2. Left and right mirror.
3. Emblems.
4. Headlights.
5. Center molding on the doors. Not sure what else is viable on the rest of car.
I got a question for you guys. Should I put in my new interior first or get it painted with it out of the car? I'm going to have it painted the exact OEM color on a Admiiral Blue 1994 LT1
I would like at the minimum take off the following in addition:
1. The rear bumper.
2. Left and right mirror.
3. Emblems.
4. Headlights.
5. Center molding on the doors. Not sure what else is viable on the rest of car.
Or what would you guys skip?
Since you are going back to original color, I would leave the bumper (minus tail lamps), mirrors, headlamps and possibly the molding on the car. They'll want extra (a lot) and you can have trouble reinstalling. If you are putting on new window weather strips take the old ones off (the ones you rest your arms on). As soon as you get the car home go over it with a rag and lacquer thinner (very carefully) to remove overspray before it really sets up, usually a week.
