If I may add to this... I had my Cutlass painted for $2800, complete, jambs trunk all. Even two tone metallic silver and Sienna Pearl Metallic.
I had to have it repainted shortly after getting it back because the longer I had it and the more the paint "cured" the more flaws I could see that should not have been there. These flaws were things like paint was darker in some spots and lighter in others, basically it didn't get an even coating of paint or enough. Other flaws were scratches and filler showing up in flat areas which should have been flat. The owner of the shop completely sanded down and repainted the car for me at no charge, of course.
It turns out the painter was going through some personal stuff and moving at the time. I had seen previous work by him and the cars all looked great. Just keep in mind how long the painter doing your car has been at the shop he is at. It seems that painters especially seem to get tired of where they are. Not to offend any of you out there, these are just my and my Father's observations after what we have seen. My Dad used to work in body shops and Painters were always growing tired of where they were and wanting new challenges, etc. so off they would go to the next shop. They are after all very tallented and creative people.
All said and done I had a rough quote from another shop that said they wanted $4000 plus to do the same paint job. I had work done by them before and they are a very good quality shop. They were also the only one I ever went to that said the car would be ready by Fri and it was. No one else ever came close. Fri would turn into two more weeks etc. so keep it in mind as stated earlier that you may not have your baby back for awhile. And remember to keep up on them or the car will most likely sit until they get around to it. Overall, counting both times my car was gone almost 4 months total.
If I had to do it again I might... might have spent the extra $1200 for them to do it as I would have probably got it back sooner and the quality I am sure would have been better. Don't get me wrong, I really do like the way the car came out but sometimes there are little things that bug you and you just want them right.
Pretty much you get what you pay for, check out the shop, what compromises can you live with and don't be afraid to point out anything you don't like. It's your money and your property. Be very clear what your expectations are and get a written waranty. All shops should have one.
My girlfriend is getting her Camaro painted next month by a friend of her moms. He is charging $1800 for a complete job. Why so cheap? He does all the prep and body work at his house and the owner of the shop he works at only charges him a small amount to use the booth to paint them. He painted her moms car last year and it came out real nice and is holding up very well.
I will let you all know how it comes out.
Maybe becoming friends with a body/paint man is a good idea too.
