My paint is peeling and im getting to the point where I need to take action before rust starts setting in.

My 01 cls has about 78k miles on it so my question is this: is it worth it to shell out 3-5k for a quality paint job? or should I go for something cheap/average as I prob wont have the car more than another 2-3 years.

5k seems like a bit much for a car thats not worth much more than 5k. What should I expect to pay for just an average paint job?

Im lookin for something that will hold up decent for a few years; I figure I can zaino the shit out of it to make up for the average paint job.

 

2-3 years, don't even paint it.

 

+1 for no paint

but ive paid 2100 for a decent pj.

 

in 2-3 years, you will move on, it's not worth it unless you plan on keeping the car, and with the way the auto trannys go, you will probably not have the car that long.

 

Of course, I'm no expert. I bought my 2001 Acura CL for my birthday two years ago. A year later, I regretted it. The dreaded transmission issue. At least the dealer warranty covered most of it.

It really depends on if you're keeping the car. I plan on keeping mine for another 3 years. I just bought an extended warranty through WarrantyDirect to make sure I'm covered in case of transmission problems again.

Keeping the car beats buying a new one and a paint job could help convince you to keep your vehicle too. Your miles are pretty low. I'm sitting right on 90K myself.

Overall the original paint is still pretty good except for the front bumper which was blemished by some jerk who scrapped it up. I was looking into a paint job but no where near that cost. Perhaps a touch up would be more affordable and a better option?

 

I might have to revise that 2-3 year outlook. With only 78k miles i plan on keeping the car till the end. Already replaced the timing belt and got a new tranny under warranty a while back (i believe the warranty on it is good till 105k miles or so.) My current paint job is peeling off all over the place and starting to look like shit.

Other than that I just had the car fully inspected and its still in excellent condition. Is it possible to find a 1.5-2k paint job that will last me to the end of the cars life?

 

I still enjoy this car as much as I did the day I got it and I have yet to throw headers on it (will in the near future). If I spend 3-5k on a paint job i wont be able to afford the headers. Advice?

 

get a mayco paint job done every year for 300-500 each time.

 

^^^^ agreed I had mine done by them not to long ago, the paint job was awesome and it cost me less than a grand to do, downfall of cheap paint is that it doesn't combat well against rocks or other flying debris.

Another way to cut costs would be to prep it yourself, this is also good because then you know that they aren't painting over the old paint, I have a silver fender with red and blue chips in a few spots haha.

 

^^^ Definately prep it yourself if you're taking it to Maaco. Also try to talk to the painter who is doing your car (preferably the best one at the shop) and slip him a c-note. That usually gets the best results.

 

prepping ur car before taking to Maaco is recommended.