Maaco paint job?

[gdpeters]

My wife's silver 1981 Deluxe Corolla's paint has faded on the upper surfaces. Before she sells it, I'm considering some repairs.

The paint on the very top has been flaking away down to the primer but there's no rust. Yet, the paint on the doors is in excellent condition, and the paint on the back and sides is very good. Maaco quoted me about $1600 to repaint almost everything. My gut feeling is that Maaco won't do a great job. This car is worthy of a better paint job that I really can't justify.

There is a minor amount of rust where the mudflaps were screwed in by the Toyota dealer. Should I leave it as is or repair it prior to selling?

The rear bumper is pushed in about an inch on the passenger side from a minor accident years ago. I was quoted $260 - $346 to repair it.

In general, would the next owner/collector prefer to get these items repaired themselves? I don't see a good return on my dollar if someone else fixes these items prior to the sale. I am good at prevention and preservation but have no solid experience with repairing these things properly.

I can provide pictures if it would help on any advice.

[toyotageek]

I'm not that well versed on selling cars, but I would think that for a car like this it is not worth spending money on body or cosmetic things. Just make sure it runs good and find your selling price. Check eBay and Craigslist to see what similar cars are going for.

As for what the next owner would do, it'll depend on who the next owner is - an old lady that wants a daily driver, or some young kid that wants a project car - and you won't know that until the time is at hand.

[zatoh]

I think the next owner if a collector would rather fix it him/herself as all the "flaws" are out in the open. I don't think you can expect to recoup any monies spent on cosmetic repairs. Other than that like Mike said - if it's going to be a daily driver then leave as is.

As an aside, $1600 seems a bit high for repairs especially since they offer complete paint jobs for well under that. Is that all they are doing?

Good luck!

[milesorolla]

i agree, dont fix it.... you know for sure, the only person who would for sure buy a car like this is a collector or enthusiast right? they would do it themselves. i would.

Where are you located? i had a friend who got his whole car painted for about $800 from maaco. but that was after he did his own prep work. As a matter of fact, i got my car's rust and dents out, and the whole car painted for $1200..