Kevin,
Look closely at his work to verify that he does very good quality work. I
would also refuse to pay storage fees unless you fail to pick up the car
within a few days after completion. I would also check around and find other
shops that come highly recommended for further estimates and comparisons.
I have redone several cars and am willing to pay a good price for very good
body and paint work. I am of the opinion that it hurts once to cut the check
for very good work. It hurts every time you wash, wax or look closely at the
car if you want it above average and decide to save a buck. I usually do
remove all my trim before sending the car in (usually can be done carefully
in a day), and then I clean and polish trim while off and reinstall carefully
after the paint is done. This is a reasonable amount of work to do well and
will require several days with cleaning, polishing, replacing any damaged
fasteners, etc. The good side of doing the trim work yourself is that you do
know it gets done wellwith no jury-rigging.
I stay away from the do the body work then send to someone to paint concept
because the fault will always be directed to the other person/shop when there
is a problem. I also lack the patience and time to do repair work that would
be satisfactory.
The price range you referred to is not out of line for very good quality
work, but even at that, it is well under what I would expect for restoration
quality refinishes which would include door jambs, engine compartments, etc
and can easily run to well over $10,000. You will need to decide what
quality job you will want depending on your particular plans for the car. If
it will be a driver, a $3-5K nice paint job (higher with lots of body work)
might be good enough. If you want better than a driver but not concours, I
would generally think along the $5-8K pricerange. I would also recommend
hitting a few car shows and talking to others in your area about who painted
their cars, what price range for what work, etc. Get some shop names that
you have seen their work and get more estimates. This may take longer, you
may save money and you may spend more, but you will feel more confident in
your decision.
Good luck,
John -- 78 NYB
Atlanta
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