Simple clean-up...Free Gift...1996 Camry

[BRUHA]

A while back, my grandmother gave me a 1996 Toyota camry (with only about 90K miles) for free, since she bought herself a new car. Since my brother was living with her for some time, he kinda took ownership of the car and had several modifications done to it...including a crappy paint job. Either way, here are pictures of a simple cleanup of the car. I really didn`t break out the PC because I wasn`t even sure if it was worth it, being that some of the paint is chipping and peeling.

I really don`t want to spend a lot of money having this car repainted, so I was thinking about taking it to Maaco for a quick once over. I am not very comfertable with that, but it`s a 10 year old car, and like I said...I dont want to spend a lot of money on a paint job. Anyone have any suggestions as to what I can do with this paint? Will a PC help the appearance of a cheap paint job?

I apologize for the poor quality of the pics...still need to find time to buy a better camera...

BEFORE
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture129.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture128.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture127.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture126.jpg

Here`s a nice throw-up stain...
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture132.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture130.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture131.jpg

AFTER
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture138.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture136.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture145.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture133.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture135.jpg

CHIPPING PAINT AND OTHER CRAP
http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture139.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture140.jpg

http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2005-7/1039986/Picture141.jpg

[Big Leegr]

One possibility (although it`s getting harder to do unless you have a "buddy on the inside") would be to have the car painted at an autobody school. Sometimes the deal is that you`d pay for the paint/shop supplies and the labor is free. Sometimes you can get a great quality job cheap.
But as I said, it`s getting harder to find these deals, as usually somebody involved in the school has a side business selling cars. :rolleyes:
As to the Maaco job, I`ve seen only a few and the cheap one looks pretty cheap. Overspray, rough texture, uneven coating. But, it could be that those were the only ones that caught my eye. Maybe some are done well. No first hand experience with them. ;)

[Maxima Lover]

As to the Maaco job, I`ve seen only a few and the cheap one looks pretty cheap. Overspray, rough texture, uneven coating. But, it could be that those were the only ones that caught my eye. Maybe some are done well. No first hand experience with them. ;)

Exactly. My parents had a vehicle done at Maaco back before I had any idea about detailing. The car had oxidized and turned pink. After it was done, it looked better than it did before, but there was overspray like crazy. Orange peal all over too. What can you expect for a couple hundred bucks though right? I think each shop is individually owned if I remember, so ask around and see if you can find one that does decent work.

EDIT: After looking at the pictures again, you`d probably be better off to pick up some paint and do it yourself on the spots that have cracked. Then do they whole car with the PC. If your looking for the whole car to look better after Maaco, your probably not going to be to happy.