Is $12,000 too much?

phhheww, i thought you were going to ask "is $12 Grand too much for wax" !!







sell your car you have now,,, find one that may have light body damage and needs paint,,, get it cheap,, then paint it your fancy blue...



instead of spending 12K, you'll likely make a bunch of $$$ :D
 
Danase said:
I think that is super high to be honest.



I dunno...the guy who's my current "good painter" only charges me $35/hour but his paintjobs are at least that high for a color change.



Chuck Mallett (Mallett Cars Ltd., they built my C5) used to paint cars and he got tens of thousands for each job.



Really good paintjobs are often *expensive* and not-so-good ones are often money down the drain.



Chaos- Is he factoring in a complete removal of the drivetrain/suspension/glass/doors/fenders/etc.? For a good color change you simply have to start with a bare shell just like the factory did. Been there...it's a *big* deal and fraught with potential problems; good luck getting a satisfactory outcome.
 
Accumulator said:
I dunno...the guy who's my current "good painter" only charges me $35/hour but his paintjobs are at least that high for a color change.



Chuck Mallett (Mallett Cars Ltd., they built my C5) used to paint cars and he got tens of thousands for each job.



Really good paintjobs are often *expensive* and not-so-good ones are often money down the drain.



Chaos- Is he factoring in a complete removal of the drivetrain/suspension/glass/doors/fenders/etc.? For a good color change you simply have to start with a bare shell just like the factory did. Been there...it's a *big* deal and fraught with potential problems; good luck getting a satisfactory outcome.





the price includes EVERYTHING... whatever it takes ... removing parts of the drivetrain, pulling parts of the interior etc etc etc its all included. ... i would love to start with a bare shell but thats just not probable haha... i dont have the space to store my drivetrain while the car is at the body shop... this shop has done several cars for my family and friends and ive always seen outstanding results... fwiw this is the place i got the estimate from

Brandywine Coach Works - Exton, PA - Home



mods ill take that down if necessary, dont want to break any rules...
 
Well from the sounds of it you really have your heart set on doing it. I get the same way you do, you get an idea you just HAVE to do it no matter what.

Paint or no paint....just do whatever makes you happy!
 
If your serious about tracking the car, I wouldn't drop 12 grand into a great paint job........It will get chipped up in no time......



It's your car and your money though........



Good luck.......:xyxthumbs
 
You could buy another car for on the side, strip it down, and get IT painted the way you want. You could save yourself some bucks by stripping it down and prepping yourself then sending the shell to the booth. /shrug



Everyone else already posted the better pieces of advice. All I had to choose from were the crappy ones leftover.
 
Sensible is never in fashion when you are young. I say blow the money on the paintjob and rue about it later in life like the rest of us.
 
INVEST the money. I think your car looks great now; heck it's an STi so you're already cooler/faster/whatever than most other cars on the road.



If you put that $12k into a 20 year Treasury Bond now, by the time your kids go off to college you'll be able to have most of their tuition payments ready.



Isn't it fun to think about the future? :)
 
IF you're really into tracking it... and I mean you have the feaver. In two years you're going to wish you had that cash back. $12,000 can buy you a lot of track time, race schools, full fia cage and fire extinguisher.



If this is to be a racecar a good paintjob is like a suit on a greyhound, just not needed.



I'm currently building a track car and I'm gratefull now that I didn't sink the time and money into the body when I had it (the time that is).
 
truzoom said:
INVEST the money. I think your car looks great now; heck it's an STi so you're already cooler/faster/whatever than most other cars on the road.



If you put that $12k into a 20 year Treasury Bond now, by the time your kids go off to college you'll be able to have most of their tuition payments ready.



Isn't it fun to think about the future? :)



The kids angle might not be the best approach; how about:



If you're 23 and invest $12k in a decent mutual fund earning you 10% compounded per year by the time you're 43 you'll have $80,730.00 give or take.



The only way I'd justify spending that kind of dough on a car like that is if you already have a nice nest egg stashed away. Take it from someone that's made that mistake (as I'm sure many of the older guys have). When I was 20-23 I was throwing away about $35,000 a year (a portion of my salary) on partying and 'fun' things, lived in a penthouse condo at the centre of downtown and was having a great time. What a waste.



Now I'm 27 and getting married just bought a house etc. But do I ever wish I had those three years and $100,000 back. I'm planning on starting my own company and that would have helped out big time (esp invested right).
 
Rude, condescending remarks removed. Name-calling and personal attacks are not allowed (not to mention childish). Please refrain from it in future. -- Tort (mod)
 
As cheap as Subaru paint is, I personally wouldn't spend that kind of money for a paint job. I would rather spend the money on a 00-01 Subaru Impreza 2.5RS in Blue Ridge Pearl (Navy) and keep the STI. You can use the RS as a daily driver and the STI will be a weekend/track car. This way you can have the best of both worlds.
 
Heh heh, you folks telling CHAOS to "invest the money"...I dunno...I sure wasn't investing with a twenty-year plan at his age, and I don't regret the dough I blew on cars and other frivolities when I was young.



evilWagon said:
IF you're really into tracking it... and I mean you have the feaver. In two years you're going to wish you had that cash back. $12,000 can buy you a lot of track time, race schools, full fia cage and fire extinguisher..



Yeah, I like that advice. Heh heh, [stuff] happens on racetracks, often because of somebody else's [goof]-up. No way I'd want a nice paintjob anywhere near a track, or even an autocross.
 
haha im still tossing about this... everything sounds like a good option to me...



- spend it on a nice colored DD

- spend it on track time/equipment

- invest

- spend on it on the car



ugh... being young and retarded sucks hahaha... i seriously appreciate this guys!
 
I wouldn't spend that much money on a paintjob. It is not going to help the value of the car and just think about what would happen if you were to wreck the car. You just added $12K to losses in that accident. There are many other things that you could do with that money. Maybe not invest it yet if you dont want, but there are other cool things that I would think would bring much more enjoyment (pool table, plasma tv, all out stereo system, etc)
 
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