Cost of a paint job Options

[Harpo]

Good afternoon everyone,

How much should I budget for a paint job? My car was origionally blue and one of the previous owners repainted it red. I would like to go back to the factory blue. I was thinking about sanding down to the origional blue paint or should I just let them add another layer.

Thanks

DAvid

[toolguy]

I know it sounds easy, "I'll sand it myself" But it's easy to put in sanding creases and dips and such if you don't block it right. .
The thicker the paint, the more layers, the harder it is to get a mirror flat panel. . .
You know the paint jobs I'm talking about, look great straight on, but when you sight down the sides you see all kinds of waves. . . that's from not blocking them properly. . . . no matter what you think, what ever your skill level is, there is an art to doing this. . . . even the slightest imperfection in the primer layer will show big time in the finish coat. .

That's not to scare you off, but to let you know there is a whole lot more to painting a car then putting on a shinny coat of paint. .
Prep is 90% of the finished product. . color sanding the final 5%. . but the guy squirting the paint is the most important. . he's got to be as good as the prep. .