Auto body repair & detailing: Complete paint job, 77 corvette, corvette forums

Question
I have a '77 corvette i'm looking to paint. I will do minor prep work such as removing trim/lights/emblems ect. It will be a complete color change and very minor body work. what type of price range am I looking at. I've look on Corvette forums and some have taken their 'vette to Maaco is that a bad move? Thanks Rick

Answer
Rick, Paint jobs vary from a few hundred dollars to several thousand dollars, all the way up to the $50,000 range on show cars, restorations, etc. Body & paint work is charged based on time and materials, so this is a case where you truly do "get what you pay for". Some things you need to consider when deciding what kind of paint job to get are: 1)How perfect do I want it to be? 2)how much can I afford? 3)Is the car worth spending that much? Maybe it is for sentimental reasons. If the car is something you're planning to keep for a while and it is mechanically sound and has a decent interior I wouldn't spend less than $1500.00. If the car is a very low mileage, original condition "not show, but really nice" type of car I wouldn't spend less than $5,000. If the car is a toy that you picked up from a buddy and it's not super nice, mechanically or otherwise, then you might not want to spend more than $800 or $1000 on it. As far as the question of Maaco goes, it wouldn't be ethical for me to steer you one way or another. I would say concerning any body shop, ask to see something that was just painted, or even better ask if you can go back and see what's in the booth being painted right now. Also, shop around. Don't sign the paperwork at the first shop that you walk into. They may look perfect and have the right price, but they're not going anywhere and will be there in a week or a month, whenever you're convinced you've found the right shop. I hope this has helped. If not, please let me know and I'll try my best to answer any other questions. Thanks