I have paint chipping off the top of my hood, top of my car and some off the top of my trunk. The sides of the car are fine. My husband says that if we repaint the car that it will take away the resell value. Any thoughts?
Well, good original paint is more valuable than a repaint on anything that’s collectable. However, if the original paint is trashed a good quality repaint should make it more valuable. Whether or not you will recover the cost of a decent paint job on resale is a different question.
If you do a crummy job, it might hurt the resale value, but any halfway decent job should be better than chipping and peeling. However, the cost of a quality paint job will probably exceed the added resale value of most cars. Also, unless we’re talking about some sort of collectable car, usually by the time the paint starts to peel, the car’s resale value is usually so low anyways that painting won’t make any difference.
But, more importantly, are you actually planning on selling it, or do you just want it to look decent driving around? If the latter, then the resale value is irelevant and you should just figure out if a presentable car is worth the price of painting.
If you get the car repainted in the same color it won’t cost too much. That way the won’t have to paint the door sills, inside the trunk or under the hood. I had a car repainted this way at a chain shop and it was a decent job. Talk to people you know to see if anyone has had a car repainted. You might also ask your car insurer what body shops they use in your area. They probably have a quality paint shop in their operation.
What kind of car, how many miles on it, and how long are you planning on keeping it are the bigger questions.
I had a 93 Caprice in similar condition. The local MAACO had a good word of mouth rep. They suggested to have the top of the car stripped down to bare metal and primed before repainting. The paint job was their second best for $450 (normally $600). The prep work cost more than the paint job. The stripping and some minor body work brought the total to $1150. I removed as much of the trim as possible and stripped off the old wax using Dawn dishwashing detergent.
The paint job is 4 years and holding up well. It needs to be waxed more than the original paint. It’s not a top of the line job, but overall I feel I got my money’s worth. I’m keeping my car, I’m not sure you would get your money back if you sold your car.
Ed B.
What year and make? When the industry was forced to switch to low VOC paints, some manufacturers had a series of years where the paint came off in sheets from the primer. A simple overspray won’t be permanent because the adhesion will still be poor between the original paint and the primer. The entire surface needs to be stripped.
I’ve seem the local MAACO work and thought it was good. However, whether it’s worth the cost is a personal choice.
it’s a '99 Mazda Protege, about 130,000 miles and I’d like to keep it for as long as it will run.
I did a similar thing on a 1988 Caprice, which had the original poor GM paint. The job cost $1200 with a replacement fender and the car looked good for 9 years. It slowed the rust and allowed a good resale value in 2007.
If you’re going to drive the car in to the ground and resell it for a couple thousand when you’re ready for a new car, a decent repaint will be fine.
If it were a more upscale car, or if you planned on trading in to a dealer soon, then I would recommend against it. Dealers will ding you every time if they find mask lines or non-factory overspray.
If you plan to sell the car soon, you husband may be right. A new paint job could look like rust or wreck repair. If you decide to paint, staying with the original color will make for a better job.
I would not worry much on resale of a 99 Mazda with 130k miles, there is not much.
Repainting the car is hardly ever worth it if a decent job however if it makes you feel better and keep the car longer then it can be well worth it.