To Sell, or Not to Sell???

[peng155]

Hello all,

A question to all the Z enthusiast out there...

I have a 72 240z, and all that's needed is a paint job.... My dilemma is that all the paint shops in my area are collision shops only and won't do full body paint. Which leaves me only the local Macco, and the local full tilt restoration shops.

The price for painting the car is either $1000.00 for Macco, or $6000.00 for the a really good job from the restoration shop. All the major body work has been done..ie new sheet metal on the fenders to take care of rust behind the front wheel wells on both sides of the car.

There is no major rust that I know of or can see (the cars always been garaged, and maintained since I've know it 25+ years). The interior is in very good shape, I've had the carpet replaces, the door panels redone, and the dash is in excellent condition.. no cracks, sun fading the usual stuff.

I've done a lot of refurbishing work on it the last few years, wipers, electrical, etc... only because it was easy to fork out fifty to a hundred bucks for parts...

So I guess the question is this... Am I being short sighted in not welling to pay $6000.00 for a paint job??

The six grand isn't just to spray the car, but that includes a lot of other prep work, taking out the glass, straighten out some of the metal work on the body, lining up the doors and such... so I know that if I spend the 6000.00 the car will come back in a great condition.

But I look at the fact that I could take that six grand, add another five or six grand and get a newer 300zx.

What would you guy's do????

Thanks

[Jayru]

I'd say it depends on how long you want to keep the car. It sounds like you may have lost interest in it if your looking at 300zx's. I'd say if you want to keep the car for a long time after it's painted then spring for the $6K job.

But if your already getting ancy thinking about a new car then just sell it. Or paint it, drive it for a while, then sell it.

[LanceM]

The sad fact is that you won't get the money out of a $6K paint job if you sell it later, so you sell it now w/o paint and loose money or get it painted and loose more money.... Sounds like you have done a lot to it and have a lot of time invested over the years, why not try a hand at painting and do it yourself. For the Macco $1K you can buy the equipment and paint and have an experiance, and probably at least as good of a job as Macco, probably better! I myself like to paint and find it fun and relaxing, which is the same thing other people say about golf!!

Anyway to answer your question of what would I do... $6K is too much for a driver IMO, I would never invest more than the car is worth or would be worth finished. But then owning a Z is sort of like throwing money down a rat hole..... Anyone that has less in their finished car than it is worth please raise your hands

[2-4-T-Z-MAN]

I'm going to be buried in my car!!! I've owned it for 28 years and my kids fight over who's going to get it when I die. I'm not ready yet so I drive and enjoy it.

I'd pay and in fact did pay for the really good job, and never regretted it.

I also have a '90' 300zx, the 240's better.

My 2 Lincolns.

[Ed]

I paid over 6K for my paint job at a restoration shop. The car was already stripped when I took it over. So all the money went to stripping, body prep, and paint. They put in about 140 hours of labor. The only rust repair they had to do was a dime size hole in the passenger door. The rest of the car was in excellent shape. So I think 6K for a good paint job is decent. Especially if it turns out looking like mine. :classic:

On the other hand what's the condition of your current paint? Does the engine bay need new paint, door jambs or trunk area? If you just want a freshened up look then remove some of the cosmetics yourself (turn signals, antenna, locks and emblems. Then take it to Macco, and in a couple of years if you still have the 240 you can do it all over again because they used cheap paint.

[phil359]

I'd say it depends on how long you want to keep the car. It sounds like you may have lost interest in it if your looking at 300zx's. I'd say if you want to keep the car for a long time after it's painted then spring for the $6K job.

But if your already getting ancy thinking about a new car then just sell it. Or paint it, drive it for a while, then sell it.

I really haven't lost interest in the car, It's just that I've had it in its current condition for the last 3 years or so. That and teh fact that my other two daily drivers are a beater Honda Prelude, and a Dodge P/U.. I ready for a fun car to zip around in this summer.

No doubt that if I were to get it re-painted, it would be a keeper at that point. No way I'm gonna recoupe the 6K if I sell it. I like the car it's was a blast to drive, before I tore it apart, and the comments I got when ever I stop to fill up for gas was nice also

I just not sure if a 6k paint job is a wise choice

I have thought about trying to paint it myself, BUT as picky as I am, I think I'd be better off letting a person who paints cars for a living do it.

The owner of restoration place I'm thinking of having the work done at came by and had a look at the car. He said the orginal paint was still in excellent condition, and would work well with no need to strip it down. If I repaint I plan to repaint the same stock orginal body color that it is now.

The paint in engine bay is in good to excellent condition, the battery tray is still in great shape, no rust. I've already removed and treated any minor door jamb, and rear hatch rust with a wire wheel, and POR 15. All the lights, marker lights, emblems, bumpers, what have you have been removed, it's just sitting there waiting for a fresh coat of paint.

The other thing is if I do repaint, and keep the car.. it becomes my spring / summer driver.. fair weather only... shi&$y weather is what my truck, and prelude are for

[Capt Mark]

I have a 20-20 maco paint jobs, it looks good at 20mph - 20 feet away.....I bought it that way, it is a driver and I will leave it that way until I want to go into full on worry mode. If you have the budget and want to show then car spend the money.

my .02

Capt Mark

[phil359]

I'll try and take pictures of it as it sits now and post somehwere on the net, for all to see maybe it'll give you a better idea on what I should do...

Ain't it nice to spend someone elses money :devious:

[Carolina Z]

It all depends on how long you plan on keeping your Z , what your Z means to you , how much you enjoy people looking at the car and commenting on the super paint job or man its a shame he didnt invest in the refinishing like other things. You cant half arse it and have what you seem to have wanted and still in all likelyhood do want. Like was said depends on if you want to show the car as well.

Fortunately I am in good standing with a shop owner here in South Carolina and will be able to avoid getting into the 6 grand arena, at worst Im looking at 2500 form a super body shop that has some fantastic painters.

Good luck with the decision.

[peng155]

It all depends on how long you plan on keeping your Z , what your Z means to you , how much you enjoy people looking at the car and commenting on the super paint job or man its a shame he didnt invest in the refinishing like other things. You cant half arse it and have what you seem to have wanted and still in all likelyhood do want. Like was said depends on if you want to show the car as well.

Fortunately I am in good standing with a shop owner here in South Carolina and will be able to avoid getting into the 6 grand arena, at worst Im looking at 2500 form a super body shop that has some fantastic painters.

Good luck with the decision.

Now that's what I'm talking about.... I have no qualms in spending 3 to 4 grand for a "Nice" paint job... meaning it doesn't have to be show quality...

The car is in nice shape, but it's not a show car... the previous owner put a roll cage into the car, and as cool as it looks... I dunno.. I think I could do without it... but that neither here, or there..

Thanks to everyone for there input.... keep-em coming.. I still haven't really made a decision yet.

[ezzzzzzz]

A proper paint job will cost $3000 and up depending on the amount of prep work. Keep in mind that it is the prep work that makes a paint job. The best paint and painter will not be able to cover up poor body work. Early Z's are not as prevalent as newer models. Newer models do offer more emenities though. Post some pictures so we can see this ride. One thing I can say for sure, if it is a reputable restoration shop, the end results will be stunning. Macco and like shops totally suck no matter the cost savings! One last thing, if you do go the $$$ route be sure to have all the other work (interior, chassis, etc.) done so you don't end up damaging that beautiful paint job!