Body paint change vs value

[nrubenstein]

I don't see it hurting the value, but also I don't see the point. If you are starting out with an Alpine White car, but want a Calypso then just buy a Calypso. However if you want a color like Imola Red that never came on the e30 then thats a different story.

The biggest issue, IMO, is going from a desirable color (Alpine) to an undesirable color (Calypso).

[Stanley Rockafella]

The biggest issue, IMO, is going from a desirable color (Alpine) to an undesirable color (Calypso).

Depends who you talk to.

I couldnt' give two shits about Alpine. Anything else other than e30 red, white and black, are to me, far more desirable (Cirrus, Zobel, Cosmos etc.)

[jhaurimn]

Calypsorot is definitely a lot less appealing than Alpine imo.

Fixed that for you.

White is so boring....you see white e30s all the time compared to calypso.

[CrazyIvan]

Thanks for all the responses! I'm mixed in opinion myself because I know she is already going into the paint booth for the mirrors, hood, trunk, and a quarter panel at the least.

I agree that the Alpine white is pretty, but you just see too many of them (which seems to be a shared opinion). I've loved the Calypsorot Metallic ever since I was a youth, and while I know it's biting off a ton of work I know it'll look beautiful.

I'm interested in hearing more thoughts, keep em' coming

[flyboyx]

here's my take:

first of all, it depends on if the color change is done well or not. when i say "well", i mean pulling out the engine, trunk felts, and interior to repaint everything on the car that was originally white. if you do that, then i would say the car will be worth the same as if it was the factory color.

anything less will certainly lessen the value of the car.

i want to qualify my statement above by saying that i believe this to be true today based on the value of these cars where they sit now. in the future 10 years when an average car is with 15-18k, i do not believe this will still be true. as values rise, there will be more and more buyers that want an all original car.

with that said, i am a guy with a white car that doesn't particularly love white. at least it isn't my favorite e30 color. i am a big fan of calypso. i say paint the fucker!

[TobyB]

Bronzit is definitely a lot less appealing than Alpine.

3 of the 4 cars I've painted used to be white. Not personally a fan. That's me.

do what you want, do it well.

t

[Tremelune]

If you're gonna spend the money to paint it anything other than non-original, why not paint it something no E30 has ever been?

Is this really about resale value? Unless the car is special, the best money is to sell it and buy a calypso. $5k E30 with a $10k paint job is a $5k E30 in a color that you like. A $60k M3 with a $15k color change is a $50k M3 in a color you like. Any car with a $5k paint job isn't one I'd want to own a decade later...so...

If it were me, and I intended to keep it for a while, I'd paint it Carbon Black and never look back. Hell, maybe Porsche Alas Grey. Maybe some shit from the 60s.

I wouldn't worry much about the unseen spots—how often are people eyeballing your engine bay? It would cost more to do a full-car paint job (taking the car apart) than you'd recoup in resale on a run-of-the-mill E30.