Re-paint price shock: $22,000!

[Barjavel]

I took my 1981 fiat 2000, bought last fall, to a local classic car restorer. My car needs paint; the original finish is almost entirely burned off/oxidized on the hood and trunk. There is minimal visual rust damage though, just a small bit on one lower quarter-panel.

The car restorer was very friendly, knowledgable, and seemed to genuinely want the work, even though he was booked *two years* out. He suggested that I strip off the bumpers, trim, windshield, etc myself to save some money (it would save me $8,000), and even if I did that, the total cost of the job would be somewhere between $12,000-$14,000, and he would need to have the car in his shop for 8 months to do the job. So, assuming I have him strip off the bumpers etc, I would be looking at $22,000, a two-year wait, and 8 months without the car!

Is this normal? I was ready to go at $5,000 and willing to wait six months or so.

This guy did have lots of awards on the wall and lots of photos of beautiful restored classic cars; he seems to specialize in old guys who take their cars to car shows in the summer.

Any advice on how to ID someone between this guy and Maaco?

[TX82FIAT]

$22K seems like a lot. I would think "IF" you could find the original paint color code and hire someone to tape off rather than remove parts with minor body work, you should be able to get the car painted and looking really good for $8K or so.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

Where are you located? I agree $22K sounds like a lot, but depending on where you are, prices for this kind of work have gone through the roof. I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and there are some housing and landscaping contractors that won't even talk to you unless you have a $100K job for them. Not all, but some.

Strange times these days for restoration work, but I do think you should be able to look around and find someone who can do a decent paint job for closer to $10K. Especially if you remove a lot of the trim.

-Bryan

[Barjavel]

I'm in Wisconsin, so I would expect prices to be lower here than in the Bay Area. I will look around more, I think I had initially stumbled across the high-end guy here, who seems to specialize in rich old guys who trailer their fully restored GTOs to car shows. One big problem for people like me who haven't done a repaint before seems to be that the auto-body industry seems full of sheisters and grifters and its hard to tell who is who without word-of-mouth recommendations from a trusted source, but those are hard to come by without knowing who to trust.

[18Fiatsandcounting]

One big problem for people like me who haven't done a repaint before seems to be that the auto-body industry seems full of sheisters and grifters and its hard to tell who is who without word-of-mouth recommendations from a trusted source, but those are hard to come by without knowing who to trust.

If your car insurance has a local agent, you could give him/her a call and see if they have some recommendations. Insurance companies deal with a lot of body shops, and they might be willing to tell you who can do a good job for a fair price.

Hourly labor rates at some body shops are over $100 per hour, and a workweek of 40 hours can put you at $4000 and up, and that doesn't even include the primer, paint, supplies, waste disposal fees, etc. The only way you can get a paint job done for less than $5K where I am is to know someone who will cut you a deal, or find someone who does this in their garage. I've seen some "home-brew" paint jobs that were surprisingly good. I've painted a few cars myself so I know what's involved.

I do agree that $22K in Wisconsin sounds like a guy who does high-end work. It may be fair for the quality he does, but I don't sense you want a concours d'elegance job.

-Bryan

[Nut124]

Go to car shows and talk to owners. Ask who painted the car. Track down the good painters.

The amount of body work greatly affects price.

Also, look at the paint jobs and try to locate defects; runs, orange peel, uneven panels, sanding marks, overspray, underspray etc. If you want a perfect paint job, it will cost you. When shopping for the job, be specific about expectations.

If you can remove all trim it will save and could improve results.

[TheBender]

Market prices do vary from place to place for sure. I agree with the others, ask around and get some referrals especially if you see the finished results. One of the guys here in Texas just did a few cars and paid +\- $6,000 each for body work (dents/dings) and paint. Oh and 8 months….. wow I bet they are absolutely gorgeous though and ready for Pebble Beach Concourse.