Ok guys, my car needs painted in a few area's, it's not hideious, but for me it's unacceptable, now i've heard all these dreadful story's about maaco, but if i got this Value Plus deal they've got might it be worth anything? I mean i dont have the money to put a 3000 dollar paint job and probably wont have this car for to awful much longer, 2 years maybe, and if i do have it after that it is gonna turn into a show car, b/c right now i'm only 17. My question is will this be worth anything or would i be better off not getting it painted at all, and how much would it cost? Thanks guys.

 

Try a search on Maaco, you'll find tons of stuff. Basically, each Maaco is independantly owned so different Maaco centers will produce different results. Research paint jobs from the Maaco center you are considering. Also, do the prep work yourself and don't get the cheapo $200 package and you may be able to get a decent paint job. Good luck

 

definitely do your own prep, and GET THE CLEARCOAT. the quality of maaco's varies by location, and it can be a huge difference. when i did one about 7 years ago i drove to one about 45 miles away (there were at least 5 closer ones) because they did much higher quality work, and actually made a deal with me near the end of the big sale so they could move materials they'd otherwise be stuck with. so i got the paint + 2 clearcoats for $245. i'm sure he only did one clearcoat anyway, but even that should've made the total like $360.

looked good even 4 years later until the guy i sold it to smashed it into a telephone pole...

but really, if you can spend 500-800, do your own prep and have a more reputable shop spray a 2-stage basecoat/clearcoat for you.

 

thanks for the info guys, i really dont have a place to do prep work, it would need a few spots probably filled where it looks like hail hit it???? and atleast one small rust spot, i got a quote from one shop that did my door handle when it broke and he said it would be in upwards of 2000, so that's why i ask about maaco to see what you guys thought. thanks.

 

I've heard those things about Maaco as well. Some are good, some aren't so good. Anyways, I work with a guy who has a 72 Cutlass. He had it painted at Maaco. IT's a deep blue with white racing stripes on the hood. I couldn't believe it when he told me he had it painted at Maaco. It's flawless! He got the top of the line paint job, and with the stripes, it was $1,200. I looked the whole car over. No lighter spots, or runs, or dirt trapped in the paint. Incredibly smooth and shiny. Racing stripes are perfect. It was enough to convince me to have my car painted there. Maybe this fall. Matt

 

yeah from what ive heard it varies as to what type of job you get and how much you want to spend on it there. ONe of my friends has a 88 iroc that he had painted there...and they didnt take any of his weatherstripping off......didnt mask off the doorhandles...and didnt mask off the underside as well....so when he got it back he had yellow paint marks on his muffer....his door handles were painted yellow...and alot of his weatherstripping was ruined. I would say to talk to the perosn over there really well and make sure you get what you pay for...and make sure you tell them exactly what your looking for. Hope this helps.