I have a 1994 Saturn SC2 (first car I ever bought new) that runs great and only has about 82,000 miles on it…so I understand what you are saying.
Someone broke off our side mirror, so I ordered a new one and had to paint it. It is actually not that hard to do. However to do an entire car you would need to get an electic paint sprayer (about $80 or so) and get the paint, spray about three coats, then a couple of clear coats…yeah, forget that.
I know locally there are areas of town with mom and pop auto body places…you might want to check out a few of them and just ask what they would charge to do it. Might not be 100% perfect, but if they did even a half-way decent job for a couple hundred dollars, still better (and cheaper) than buying a new car!
I intend to drive my Saturn until it either falls apart, or it becomes a “classic” and I can sell it for what I paid for it!
I was going to say something like that, too - leave the body looking crappy (maybe look after the rust and leave all the bondo exposed or something), and put a really good stereo in it and drive it till the engine falls out.
We have a 1999 Tercel with a bunch of kms on it, and what we plan to do with it is park it in the back yard after we get a new car (we may drive it in winter). It’s in great shape, too - it needs some cv boots, a new windshield, and a little body work, but it still runs perfectly well, and we won’t get any money for it if we try to sell it.
I drove a Civic wagon for 17 years until it finally rusted out four years ago. Then I bought a new Fit (quite similar) and plan to drive that for 17 years, at which time, if I am still around, I will give up driving). I never painted the Civic and have no plans to paint the Fit.
Used car prices, at least in the United States, are much higher than you think, thanks to the Great Recession. Because drivers, rental agencies and fleet owners have been holding on to their cars longer, and there’s a larger demand for used cars because fewer can afford new, there’s a shortage of used cars on the market, thus driving prices up. I’ve been seeing some insane prices at used car dealers for cars that are 10+ years old and/or with 100K and more on the clock.
I’d get a decent but not over-the-top paint job at anyplace but Maaco or Earl Scheib ($1000), do whatever detailing might be needed, get a new set of decent tires ($350), and PROFIT.
EDIT: Sell it in the fall, when students are returning to college.
Paint it. Even if you spend $2K on a paint job, and you keep it for five years, that averages out to $400/year, to have a once-again shiny car that you’re happy to drive and not ashamed of being seen in.
And just for the record, I’ve had Maaco work on several of my cars, and I’ve been quite satisfied with their work. I understand I’m distinctly in the minority here.
You can’t get your money out of the car if it’s 13 years old compared to the years of driving it will deliver. Find someone who will shoot the paint for you and do the prep work yourself.
I’d go for it. It has very few miles on it, it’s reliable, and you like driving it. I’d get several estimates from reputable auto painters/body shops though. I’m a do-it-yourselfer, but I’d never consider doing a job like this myself.
My sister recently had her 1991 Toyota truck repainted, and it has over 200,000 miles on it. She paid a lot for the paint job, but it looks wonderful. She’s going to have it reupholstered next.
I don’t think she’s concerned with its resale value. She’s been driving this truck for the last 20 years, and she intends to keep driving it for as long as possible.
Even a cheapo Maaco paint job will last you 5 years before it gets too dull.
I’d say paint it. Having a paid off car without any major mechanical issues is one of the few super freebie things in life- no payment, and little in the way of maintenance expenses either.
My wife and I are having a low-intensity argument over whether she needs a new car (03 Mazda 6 w/90k miles) or not. My argument is that there’s nothing wrong, and even if something does go wrong, as long as it doesn’t end up costing us an average of $400/month, we’re still ahead of what a new car note would cost us. Which means we could spend $1200 per quarter on maintenance and still break even, not including the lower insurance rates on older cars. (this doesn’t count consumable stuff like tires, oil, etc… that you have to get for any car)
And FWIW, $1200/quarter is ridiculous over an extended period for car maintenance, unless you just haven’t been taking care of it.
@nivlac: One thing I probably don’t have to worry about around here is having my car stolen. I know people who leave their car doors unlocked and leave their purses / wallets in the car.
[Side note: On the other extreme, my friend who used to live in South Africa said her friend (who lived in Jo’burg) once had the seats of her car stolen out of the car while she was carrying in the groceries.]
I’ll see if I can get some quotes from local car-painting places. Not that I’ve made a decision, but just to get an idea.
I hope she’s not arguing that she needs the new car - it sounds more like she wants a new car. My husband doesn’t need a new Mustang, either - he himself calls it his Midlife Crisis Mobile.
dude, 64,000 miles ? 1998 ? runs good ? do you have any idea what that car is worth since “fearless leader’s” cash for clunkers debacle, old good cars are STARTING at $3000.00. and those are over 100,000 miles on them. seriously, you can’t buy a car for $1000.00 anymore. Put that ad in a paper I suggest to get prices from a few paint shops and spend $5 or $6 hundred. then drive it for another 40,000 miles. It’ll then be ready for you to give to junior or then sell it for $3000.00. even if that car doesn’t run , any junk yard will give you $1000.00 , because the parts are worth $6000.00 minimum.
I have a 2000 Frod Focus wagon (bought new) that has 65,900 miles on it and I wash it every Fourth of July whether it needs it or not. My daily commute to work is 3 miles r/t. I once painted a '50 Frod matte black with several spray cans. Don’t waste your money painting it.
I’m so glad that I’m not the only one who does that. I move that we have a special Old Fogey Rule forgiving us for forgetting what we did or didn’t post earlier in a thread.
You’re making me think that we should try to sell our Tercel in the US.
A kid 2 towns over solved his car paint/bondo problem with leftover indoor/outdoor carpet samples and a nail gun. But that’s Paterson.
No matter what you do, you’re car will always look (and smell) better than that.
