best method for a full repaint?

[nwe30]

so i just bought a door for my car but it's white and my car is brilliantrot.
i want to get a full body repaint but i don't have all the money in the world to spend. i'd say maybe around $600, but that's all the money i can spend right now, but if i could get a much better quality paint job with 800, then i'd wait to save up a couple more hundred and do that.

so ...what are my options out there ?
any cheap places in washington that is of high quality?
should i just go with maaco?

[StereoInstaller1]

Got an assload of time to DIY?

[nwe30]

Got an assload of time to DIY?

hmmm...sorta. i'm out of school now and i work about 25-30 hours a week.

i don't have a spray gun, experience, or any other tools in hand that i could use to prime it myself!

[ck_taft325is]

Maaco is fine IF you don't get their cheapest paint job. I think they call it their Presidential paint package which is honestly pretty good.

[rares]

Maaco is fine IF you don't get their cheapest paint job. I think they call it their Presidential paint package which is honestly pretty good.

this... indeed is true

[Big Willy]

If you prepare the whole car yourself, (sanding, taping/masking, priming) and have it trailer ed to Maaco you could spend around $150 +/- $50 depending on your dents and the amount of them. And have Maaco just seal the whole car and spray it white again for $400 I believe.

All of the quality of a paint job is in the preparation for it, if the paint still comes out bad you can wetsand the whole car to a perfect finish and take out/minimize any imperfections.

[IxTech]

just mask your windows and buy some spray paint.
if you want to go big, sand and prime your old paint first.


i actually saw an m50 swapped e30 completely rattle canned white. with gayasfuckblau tid bits and wheels

[nwe30]

alright thanks guys. i'm probably going to go ahead and use maaco. i'm not looking for a top of the line paint job, i just don't want it to look like a kid did it.

will i have to take all the trim off? i remember seeing a white e30 here on the forums and ALL the trim was painted white, the side mouldings and the bumper trims. also, what about the pinstripe? will maaco just paint over it or can i request them to keep that there and also to mask off the trim?

[dahows]

Mafiaracers owns a Maaco shop in Portland, it might be worth the commute from Lakewood to work with another enthusiast. Also, there is another member on here (can't recall his name at the moment) who had his M3 painted at Maaco with great results. If memory serves correctly, he did the prep work and the job cost him ~$300.

[Jafxod]

I plan on getting a maaco job this summer, gonna pull the bumpers and trim and mask the handles and glass and as much as possible first and get the higher quality job. I was gonna spray it myself but the cost of paint would be as much as the whole spray at maaco.