Possible to re-paint brand new car / how much would I need?

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Love the color as well, good idea, interesting car choice for a young guy. Financial disaster as clearly noted. Colors are coming back, something else may catch you eye by the time you graduate.
 
Not long after I graduated, I bought a Honda CRX to replace the Chevy Nova my dad had given me...it got pretty messed up when I get hit from behind while I was waiting for some moron who had stopped randomly in front of a fast food restaurant to get going again. Besides my car damage, I also got the gift of many years of back and leg pain...luckily gone now.
Anyway, a year or two later Honda starting shipping CRXs with a blue green color I liked a lot at the time, not so much anymore. I was really jealous anytime I saw a CRX in that color on the road and finally called a paint shop to see what it would cost to repaint my car.
The guy on the phone was incredulous that I would want them to repaint a newer vehicle that had no damage and kept telling me it was a bad idea...I kept asking for some guess as to what the price might be, and he finally said he wouldn't give me an estimate and the shop didn't want the job. He said that I wouldn't be happy with the results and it would just be a hassle for them to deal with me after the job. This was probably a step above an Earl Scheib shop, still on the budget end.
FWIW...
 
Just some input on your car choice, if you decide you no longer want it in 2 - 3 years, the value will absolutely plummet.
Plan on a 50% depreciation hit after 2 years. Yes, you did say a used 2018.
Its a GM, that's not popular. You will take a bath.
I do used cars for a living.
 
Love your color choice....always wanted a sport bike in that color. I'm just very troubled by what you're suggesting.

To do a full re-paint on a perfectly fine car without painting under the hood, lift gate and inside the doors will quickly turn that car into little more than used car lot trash. To do this right would require a lot of parts & trim to be removed, painted underneath / within, and replaced. $10,000 would be my starting guess with labor rates being what they are, at an average paint shop. My last body shop bill was for a small dent and scrape on the left front fender of my Canyon, and that was $1,300.

Then there are the flaws you find after you've handed over your savings account. Runs, orange peel, inconsistent shine in the clear....the list of potential issues is long. I would never do this unless I had unlimited funds, and it would be taken to a shop like Chip Foose or Fantomworks.

I highly recommend you buy a car you love in a color you can live with, or buy a car you like, in a color you love. It is too bad GM doesn't have the foresight to offer this paint color across their product line. Their (lack of) choice in blues on the new Camaro is what pushed me to the Mustang when it was time to buy a new car.

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Originally Posted by mcrn
Wrap makes a lot more sense for what you are looking to do. You can change the color to whatever you want and at the same time protect the original pain which will in turn possibly help keep value in the car.


+1,000


OR one can be a boss by buying new and paying extra for the factory to custom paint the vehicle.
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Respraying an auto should be the last thing on anyone's to do list.

If a certain color is important, find a car in that color to purchase.
 
Let me get this straight, You are 17 and want a new Buick wagon as a graduation car? And then you want to paint it to make it yours? Did you pick this car for some special reason?
There are a ton of other cars out there that I would think a 17 year old would want. But not a Buick wagon. Are your parents influencing your decision on this?
 
Buy your car. Drive it into the ground. When It's fifteen years old and has a quarter of a million miles take it to one of the three Earl Schieb's still hanging on a quarter of a century after the mothership went down and get the two hundred dollar special in the color of your choice. Adjusted for price, of course.

Some of the finest memories of my youth were painting beaters a totally different color with sub hundred dollar paint jobs performed by hobos pulled off the streets for day work.
 
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Originally Posted by Blkstanger
Let me get this straight, You are 17 and want a new Buick wagon as a graduation car? And then you want to paint it to make it yours? Did you pick this car for some special reason?
There are a ton of other cars out there that I would think a 17 year old would want. But not a Buick wagon. Are your parents influencing your decision on this?


Good for Buick. Thinking out of the box -both the kid and GM. I thought this was an Opel and about to be dropped. Maybe it'll be really cheapie if it's an orphan. No brand is more likely to be screwed up by a trade war than Buick.
 
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BTW-- I had a '97 Cavalier in that color. Disagreeable car but it gave me less trouble than any of the other GM cars I've owned (but more trouble than any of the HyunKia's I've owned. Wish there were more cars in actual colors and less in silver (which I now have) or gray. Gimme more orange, gimme some yellow. I need happy colors in my old age, dammit.
 
As all have said this is a VERY bad idea and I think you realize that by now. Have you even considered what insurance will cost at 18 years of age? Will there be a loan on the car? Something that new will require full coverage to satisfy the lender. Even if your parents are paying cash you'll still want full coverage. Cool choice of cars by the way.

Check around on the insurance, you're in for a real eye opener just as with repainting the car.
 
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Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
I would want to get it painted my favorite GM color, sunset orange metallic, and you can buy it in the proper paint code by the gallon on Amazon too (https://www.amazon.com/CHEVROLET-CAVALIER-Sunset-Metallic-Paint/dp/B071DQ6W4C?th=1)


Another option is to consider a car that comes in the orange color if it's that important. My friend has an orange Ford Escape. I'd recommend the 2.5 4 cyl NA engine in FWD configuration. That should last a long time.
 
I'll try my best to address all of your replies at once so sorry in advance if I miss anything.

1) I realize now that this was a terrible idea, I had no idea it would cost so much.

2) If I do get the car it would be on a loan and insured fully, which I have done research on and am prepared to take care of

3) My choice of car is mine, not influenced by my parents. I have always liked LT1 Roadmaster wagons but it's a pain to find one around here that isn't rusted away or overpriced. At my work the other week a customer had a TourX wagon and getting to see one up close basically sold me on it.

4) I honestly just really like the sunset orange metallic color. Orange is my favorite color and sunset orange specifically has some nostalgic ties for me because of our old Trans-Am (the inspiration behind the last 3 characters of my username)

At this point honestly if I get the Buick wagon I'm either getting it in the black color offered from the factory, or seeing if there is somehow a way I can order GM to paint it at the factory in sunset orange metallic, which most likely won't happen. Lol
 
Originally Posted by csandste
Buy your car. Drive it into the ground. When It's fifteen years old and has a quarter of a million miles take it to one of the three Earl Schieb's still hanging on a quarter of a century after the mothership went down and get the two hundred dollar special in the color of your choice. Adjusted for price, of course.

Some of the finest memories of my youth were painting beaters a totally different color with sub hundred dollar paint jobs performed by hobos pulled off the streets for day work.



I believe they're at $500 now for the cheap paint job, up to $1200 for a more decent one. But those only come with one year warranties and for good reason. I had Maaco do body work years ago and when I was there, saw a car that was there with peeling paint, less than a year old. As others said, the usually problem with a paint job by the body shop, over spray and bad prep work makes for a bad paint job. Basically the paint is going to peel. Only the factory can do a proper paint job, but even then, some car lines have peeling paint also due to what chemicals they can use due to EPA rules.
 
Good point about the EPA. My fond memories were of toxic enamel in one of twelve pre-picked garish colors sprayed haphazardly by toxic people. Tires had beautifully colored sidewalls, however.
 
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Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6
I'll try my best to address all of your replies at once so sorry in advance if I miss anything.
1) I realize now that this was a terrible idea, I had no idea it would cost so much.
2) If I do get the car it would be on a loan and insured fully, which I have done research on and am prepared to take care of
3) My choice of car is mine, not influenced by my parents. I have always liked LT1 Roadmaster wagons but it's a pain to find one around here that isn't rusted away or overpriced. At my work the other week a customer had a TourX wagon and getting to see one up close basically sold me on it.
4) I honestly just really like the sunset orange metallic color. Orange is my favorite color and sunset orange specifically has some nostalgic ties for me because of our old Trans-Am (the inspiration behind the last 3 characters of my username)
At this point honestly if I get the Buick wagon I'm either getting it in the black color offered from the factory, or seeing if there is somehow a way I can order GM to paint it at the factory in sunset orange metallic, which most likely won't happen. Lol

I realize that they're not popular, but I would be VERY interested in a TourX if I happened to be in the market for a vehicle right now. Would fit my needs for carrying stuff and sounds like it would be fun to drive.
My wife is actually interested in replacing her car now, but she really only likes sedans and didn't bite when I showed her pictures of the TourX and Sportback. I don't think that she noticed that the GS wasn't quite a sedan, but the starting price was too high for her tastes, anyway.
Hope you find something that makes you happy!
 
Originally Posted by cwilliamsws6


4) I honestly just really like the sunset orange metallic color. Orange is my favorite color and sunset orange specifically has some nostalgic ties for me because of our old Trans-Am (the inspiration behind the last 3 characters of my username)


It's def'a bad azze color, can't argue with you on that. ðŸ‘
 
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Originally Posted by Mad_Hatter
It's def'a bad azze color, can't argue with you on that. ðŸ‘




[Linked Image]
 
Originally Posted by doitmyself



[Linked Image]



That's 👆straight up sexy right there!ðŸ‘...
 
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