Is your car in desperate need of a paint job right now? If so, the car paint job cost might be the only thing standing between you and a fresh coat of paint on your car! Painting a car isn’t as easy as painting, say, your living room. You can’t just buy a few gallons of paint for cheap, use them to paint your car, and call it a day. There is a whole lot more to it than that, which is why it costs so much money to do it.
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But you shouldn’t let the car paint job cost scare you too much if your car could really use some fresh paint on it. Although painting your car can sometimes cost you a pretty penny, there are also some things that you can do to keep your costs on the lower side. Your car paint job cost is all going to depend on the approach that you take to painting your car.
If you want to make sure that you’re able to get the best possible deal on your car paint job cost, continue reading. We’re about to break down what you’ll have to do to get a great price while painting your car.
What Is the Average Car Paint Job Cost?
As we just alluded to, painting a car can be pretty pricey in the end if you’re not careful. It’s not out of the ordinary for people to spend tens of thousands of dollars on custom paint jobs for their cars. But at the same time, it’s also not uncommon for people to get away with paying just a few hundred dollars for a crappy paint job. The car paint job cost can fall on either end of the spectrum.
Here is a quick breakdown on what the average car paint job cost will be based on what kind of paint job you want done:
- Low-end paint job: Anywhere from $300 to $900
- Middle-of-the-road paint job: Anywhere from $1,000 to $3,500
- High-end paint job: Anywhere from $2,500 to over $20,000
As you can see, there is quite a discrepancy between the low-end car paint job cost and the high-end one. It’s what’s going to make it so important for you to find ways to make your specific car paint job cost manageable.
What Factors Determine the Price of a Car Paint Job?
In a second, we’re going to take a deep dive into some of the different things that you can do to keep your car paint job cost on the more affordable side in the end. But before we do that, you should be aware of all the different factors that are going to have an impact on your car paint job cost.
Take a look at a handful of factors that will help to determine the price that you’re ultimately going to have to pay when getting your car painted:
- The company that you hire to paint your car
- The type of paint that you decide to use on your car
- The number of coats of paint that your car needs
- The prep work that’s required to paint your car
- The time that you’re able to give a company to paint your car
You’re going to want to have these different factors in the back of your mind when you walk into a shop to have your car painted. Each and every one of them is going to have an effect on your car paint job cost.
How to Be Sure You Get the Best Possible Car Paint Job Cost
Now that you know about some of the factors that are going to impact your car paint job cost, it’s time to find out how you can bring your total cost down. There are actually a lot of things that you can do to lower your car paint job cost when you can’t afford to spend a small fortune painting your vehicle. We’ve included 7 of the best ways to get the best price when painting your car below.
1. Create a Budget for New Paint for Your Car in Advance
If you think that your car could benefit from a fresh coat of paint, you should begin the process of painting it by sitting down and deciding what you can afford to spend while doing it. You should check out your financial situation and see how much money you can set aside specifically for painting your car.
The last thing that you want to do is walk into a shop to have your car painted without a budget in mind. It’s going to be entirely too easy for you to talk yourself into paying just about any price to paint your car when this is the case.
Instead, you should have a number in mind so that you’re able to tell a shop what you can afford to pay for a paint job. They’ll then be able to tell you whether or not they can come up with a solution to your paint problem based on your budget. This will help you avoid putting yourself into a spot where you have to go deep into debt just to paint your car.
2. Choose the Right Company to Handle Painting Your Car
The automotive coatings industry has turned into an incredibly big business in this country. It brings in billions of dollars each year, which is why there is no shortage of companies that can paint your car for you. It’s going to be up to you to find the right one when you’re in the market for a shop that can paint your car.
You might not realize this, but not all companies are going to charge you the same price to paint your car. Your car paint job cost might be $1,000 at one shop, $2,300 at another, and $3,200 at yet another. Each individual shop is going to give you access to a slightly different price point when painting your car.
Your goal should be to search for different shops in your area and ask them what your car paint job cost is going to be through them. By getting quotes from several different companies, you should be able to save yourself some money when everything is all said and done.
3. Pick Out a Basic Paint Color for Your Car
If you really want to paint your car without spending a ton of money on it, then you need to listen to this tip. You should try to paint your car the most basic color possible. It’s one of the easiest ways to bring down your car paint job cost.
It’s very simple for most shops to paint a car a color like black. They can start painting your car without having to mix up paints to create a more advanced color for you. They can also paint your car with fewer coats since black will cover up the colors underneath it without a problem.
This is a much more cost-effective approach for you to take than painting your car a wild color like yellow or orange. Those colors are going to require more mixing and more coats in a lot of cases. This is inevitably going to drive your car paint job cost up and force you to pay more money at the end of the day.
4. Figure Out How Much Prep Work Will Need to Be Done to Your Car
Any time that you have your car painted, there is going to be some prep work that will need to be done. Dings and dents will have to get fixed and rust will have to be remedied. There is also a whole lot of sanding and priming that will need to be done.
As long as the prep work isn’t too extensive, it shouldn’t send your car paint job cost skyrocketing higher than it should be. But if you have a whole lot of prep work that will have to get done, you might want to go as far as to think twice about repainting your car in the first place. Or at the very least, you may want to search for someone who can help with the prep work at a lower price point than your paint shop might offer you.
5. Decide How Thorough You Need Your Car’s Paint Job to Be
Do you want a shop to simply cover up the glass on your car and any trim on it prior to painting it? Or do you want them to remove the trim and things like your headlamps to ensure that they don’t get a speck of paint on them? You’re welcome to go either way here, but you should know it’s going to affect your car paint job cost.
The more thorough that you need a shop to be, the more you can expect to pay to have your car painted. So if you’re in a bind and need to keep your car paint job cost low, you might want to let your shop know that you don’t want them to be extra thorough when painting your car.
6. Select the Right Time of the Year to Paint Your Car
Most people run down to their local shops to paint their car at the first sign of spring. They realize that they’re going to be spending a lot of time driving around in the coming months, and they want their cars to look their best when they do.
Because of this, a lot of shops are slammed in the spring and summer months with people wanting to paint their cars. It allows them to charge higher prices than usual and could lead to your car paint job cost going up. You should think about trying to paint your car at a slower time of the year to bring your cost down.
If you’re willing to wait until the dead of winter to paint your car, you might find that a shop will charge you less than they would otherwise. You might also find that they’re willing to really take their time when working on your car and do a better job!
7. See If You Can Find Any Coupons Prior to Painting Your Car
Before you walk into a shop to speak with someone about painting your car, you should always look online to see if you can find any coupons. Most shops will have coupons right on their own websites that you can put to good use.
This is one of the easiest possible ways to bring your car paint job cost down in a hurry. Just present a coupon when you take your car in to have it painted and you’ll be able to save a significant amount of money.
Is the Car Paint Job Cost Worth It?
If you have a car that isn’t that old and you plan on keeping it for a long time, you want it to look great at all times. It’s why the car paint job cost might be well worth it to you. You can make your car look like new again on the outside by putting a fresh coat of paint on it.
Painting your car might not be worth it if it’s on its last legs, though. While it might temporarily breathe some life back into your car, it’s not going to fix many of the underlying problems that exist with older cars. The car paint job cost may also impact your ability to make more important repairs to your car over time.
Can You Sell a Car With Fading, Peeling, or Chipping Paint on It?
If you can’t seem to justify paying the car paint job cost but you also don’t want to ride around in a car with fading, peeling, or chipping paint on it, you might not know what to do next. You might wonder whether or not there is any way to sell a car with an awful paint job while still getting top dollar for it.
You’ll be pleased to know that you can steer clear of paying the car paint job cost and collect cash for your car by selling it to Cash Cars Buyer. Just let us know the make and model of your car, the year that your car was made, and the mileage on your car and we’ll send you an offer for your vehicle that will be more than fair.
Contact us today for additional information on selling a car to Cash Cars Buyer!