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Hey fellow Acura enthusiasts!
I have a '07 Red Acura TSX that is in excellent condition with the exception of the paint job. It is fading (see the photo of the hood) or is oxidized (not Clear Coat Failure). I am selling the car because we no longer need it, since the wife is retiring and money is a bit tight. The paint is the only thing that seems to be turning potential buyers off.
I tried to buff the oxidation off but no luck. It appears to be fading below the clear coat. I took it to a couple auto repair places and they said Red is funny this way, that it fades and ends up looking like crap. The only solution, they say, is to repaint the car. The repair shops said they did not do this kind of work, so I wasn't worried that they only said that to get the paint job.
Problem is I am selling the car and putting the money in to paint it up front is tough. That is, a decent paint job is tough. I read that Maaco can paint it for $250 - $300. That paint job is guaranteed for a year.
I am an honest person. I can't do this and look a buyer in the eye and not tell them the paint won't last. I would rather have the car painted with a process that will last years and years. I would imagine that will cost more than $300. More like $1500 or $2K (or more... Yikes!)
So here's my potential solution, and I would like your opinion on this: Include a Paint Allowance in the price of the car. People do this with home purchases. It's called a "Carpet Allowance" or "Whatever Allowance". The purchase price is raised to allow the seller to give cash back to the buyer to do the work needed, and the cost is included in the purchase price, and is included in the loan.
So let's say my car is worth $13500 with a good paint job, or $11,500 without a new paint job. I sell the car for that amount, but give the buyer $2000 back. So they paint the car instead of me painting the car, but they get the cash to do it. Whether they actually paint the car or not is not my concern.
Tell me what you think about this idea, please. No need to be nasty either, I am trying to sell this car to someone who will truly enjoy it, like you guys love your Acuras. I don't want to "fool" someone with a $200 paint makeover.
By the way, I would want to put this info in the advertisement, so the potential buyers would understand up front what the plan is.
Thanks in advance for your comments!
You posted in the wrong area, this is the TL side of the forums. You can try to use a polisher and follow up with wax. I recommend using a Porter Cable 7424XP or a similar Dual Action polisher.
Milano Red on that generation TSX is known to fade.
As to your "carpet allowance" plan ... why? Why sell it high then give them money back to paint it?
It's a used vehicle. Sell it for what you think it's worth. Potential new owner takes the risk as-is, just as with any other body part or mechanical part of buying.
Personally, I'd take some Meguiars 105 and 205 to it with wax afterwards, post a CL's ad with some good pictures and wait it out.
If the paint is single stage (no clear coat) you can polish out the oxidation. And you'll have to polish the car 2-3 times a year to keep it from fading again.
03-22-2016, 10:09 PM
