Repaint & Car Value

[imcarthur]

Question:

Would a good quality - windows out, all seals replaced but not bare metal - full re-paint alter a car's value?

Reason for repaint (talked with mechanic to confirm) was 90K of driving & a bad keying.

I'm looking at a car . . .

Ian

[Rot 911]

Generally it won't alter the value of the car enough to make up for the cost of the repaint. However, a car with a good paint job is always worth more than a car with a bad paint job, assuming all other aspects are the same.

[Steve 82SC]

I just finished with a glass-out, fenders off, bumpers off, etc. respray. The body guy who did it has a part-time gig that consists of Porsche-only. Being as familiar as he is with 911s, he encountered numerous small issues that could have one day resulted in major issues and they were dealt with accordingly. I agree with Kurt that you'll never see all of the money out of the car because of the paint, but if you're going to keep the car, you'll feel alot better about a decision to go ahead with the job.
Steve

[Grady Clay]

It depends on what you want with your 911. It can be many things and almost all are not mutually exclusive.
A show car.
A drive weekends car.
A take the kids to school car.
A daily commute car.
An auto-X car.
A car to take hubby to the PTA.
A garage queen.
A DE car.
An outrageous café racer.
A car to tinker with.
A street racer (discouraged).
A cross country driver.
A lightweight.
A rallye car.
A serious race car.
A museum car.
A car for the CC parking lot.
Or
Just a nice 911 to drive and enjoy.
It depends on what you want with your 911.

Generally speaking, 911s with original paint are more valuable.


My old ’68 911 has plenty of “war wound” chips and it is still mostly original paint.
See the last photo on this page: Pic's of 911's in full tilt, please
That was 1974, it has even more chips now.
Will I repaint it anytime soon – NO.

Best,
Grady

[Evans, Marv]

Hey, if you want to keep the car for awhile, and it make you feel better about your driving experience to have a nice paint job - go for it.

[ChrisBennet]

Did any of you (besides Grady) actually read the poster's question?
-Chris

[PorschePilot]

I just did a paint job on my 74 Targa. I pulled all the bumpers, fender extensions and little pieces. I then did the initial sanding (400 and 600 grit) and some bondo. Then I took it to the paint shop where they pulled the glass and did some final prep. They did a primer, color coat, clear coat and buff. The charge was $2400 and it tuned out great. They put the glass back in and I put all the other pieces back on.

[imcarthur]

Thanks Chris, I thought it was just me. But thanks guys.

The point:

I have not bought but am seriously considering sending a car for a PPI.

88 Coupe 95K miles
Exterior (repaint of original color) 9.5/10
Interior 6/10
Records since 92
Well maintained - new clutch, compressor & evaporator etc
Accepted offer $16K (he wants/needs a quick sale/has said all the right things)

I guess I just want confirmation that I'm not nuts to consider a repaint with many buyers demanding original - flaws & all.

Ian

[Bill Douglas]

All I can say is, having someone else do the repaint beats the hell out of having to do it yourself. A shinny paint job is a great asset.

[Tim Stevens]

I would get a PPI and ask them to check if they see any problems that were covered up with the paint job. Also check car facts. If all turns up good -- I would jump all over it. I know I would love a nice shinny paint job on my 85 911 (73,000 miles) whether it was original or painted three times - Good Luck – Tim

[markwemple]

I would say that most purchasers want a porsche to be as pristine as possible. Therefore, although we want an original car, we wouldn't want it to look like crap. Repaint it if you want to keep it but as its been said a very good respray will not make up for itself $ wise. It is always cheaper to find a well kept 911. That having been said, your new paint, if done right, will last longer and look bettter than that 911 did new, and that would be a good thing!

[porschenut]

Did you run a Carfax to see if it was ever in an accident? There are only 3 good reasons that I can think of to have a car repainted:

1. Accident damage
2. Hail or other weather damage, or vandalism
3. If the paint has aged to the point that it cannot be brought back through reconditioning.

If you just want to change the color, that's another reason, but not a good one.

If I were you I'd do all I could to find out what the real reason for the repaint is. The mechanic may be telling the truth about the keying, but you never know. Don't buy anything without a Carfax report!

[Zeke]

Originally posted by ChrisBennet
Did any of you (besides Grady) actually read the poster's question?
-Chris

LOL. What? and change the way things work?

When this painting thing came up before, I quoted the consumate car guy who told me, "There are two things in life to avoid at all costs, the surgeon's knife and a repaint." Of course, he ended up screwing me, but he was a act to witness, lemme tell you.

[imcarthur]

Interesting range of views starting.

Here is the decision:

Car as above:
88 Coupe 95K miles
Exterior (repaint of original color) 9.5/10 very nice color
Interior 6/10
Records since 92
Well maintained - new clutch, compressor & evaporator etc
Accepted offer $16K (he wants/needs a quick sale/has said all the right things)
Claims repaint for keying & general nicks & chips (seems to be the type where appearances matter too)

or
87 Coupe 102K
Exterior 9/10 but not ideal color
Interior 8.5/10
All records
Well maintained - has needed very little (no clutch work? hmm?)
Will accept nothing less than $18.5K

Car 2 has no spoilers, car 1 is factory spoilers. I like # 1's color better but . . . #2 sound's so good . . . but $2500 . . . and #1 will let me tinker as I renovate the interior . . . but #2 I could just drive, but it doesn't look quite as good . . . but #1 has a better stereo

Car will be used for general joyriding on a part time basis. Both have clear CarFaxs. Both are stock. Probably won't track but might end up at PCA school.

Ian

[Grady Clay]

Ian,

Go for it. It is your decision. It sounds like either could be a good choice. There are risks either way you go. Get a good PPI on both. Whichever you decide, I’m sure you will have fun.

Best,
Grady

[porschenut]

If it were me, I would gravitate to #1. It's a year newer, lower miles, and most importantly, you prefer the color. And like you said, the interior permits guilt-free tinkering. It's a close call though. Do what your gut tells you to do.

[Tim Stevens]

Ian,
A new clutch is 1,500. If there is no record for a clutch on car #2 then it will need one soon. From reading your posts it sounds to me that you are leaning to car #1. I think if the PPI works out you will be getting a good deal. I wish I only had 16,000 in my car . Good luck and let us know your decision -- and post some pictures when deal is done - Tim

[aigel]

It's easy: If you have two cars with very nice paint, one being original paint, one being a repaint, the original paint will be worth more.

It gets more complicated: If the car that has the original paint has issues, like fading or serious chipping, the cars may start to get equal in value. HOWEVER, I'd take an original paint car with minor issues over a perfect repaint any day. Reason?

One thing nobody mentioned yet is the fact that nothing hold up as well as factory paint. It just is really well done. If you go with someone's respray, it will be a crapshoot on how it will hold up. It depends on prep, application and the materials used. You may wax the living daylight out of it and keep it under a cover in your garage, it may still fade on you very quickly.

And like others mentioned, unless you see pre-paint pictures of the body, paint usually means 'something went wrong dude'. It can be too many door dings and driving behind the gravel truck too much, but usually it is a bit more serious. Even if you have a minor incident to the front or side of a car, one would try to match paint and not respray the whole thing. At least I would try for that...

Just a few more ideas.

Practically, on what you have in front of you with the two cars, I can't see any reason to pay more for the original (more ugly) car. Also, owning a 911 IS about looks and the feeling. It is NOT an appliance car buy like a honda accord, where you won't care what color it is, as long as you get a good deal on it. Go to the seller of the repaint car and offer less than 16k. Tell him your pals on PP told you repaints stink and that you were worried about resale value. I'd offer him 14k flat in his face. He may not even cringe. Or have a PPI done. It WILL find minor things, things that you can put off or do cheaply yourself. Then offer 2k less on that basis.

And the other thing you may try is to keep looking!

Good Luck.

George

[jyl]

If the repaint was very recently done, or was inexpensive (examine receipts), I'd be cautious, as paint problems may not have had time to show up yet. I once bought a nicely restored, resprayed car, and within the year had paint failing. Hmm, actually I've done that twice.

At least take it to a Porsche-knowledgeable bodyshop to be examined - both for paint quality and for accident damage.

If the respray has held up to a couple years of use, then that's different. In that case, I'd give the unpainted car a moderate advantage, and see where the other factors take you. I'd take a well-repainted car in a color I like over an original paint car in a color I dislike.

Edit: I'm a bit suspicious of someone who was persnickety enough to pay for a supposedly high-quality respray the car, but didn't bother to keep the interior in good condition . . . might want to get to the bottom of that.

Edit 2: My car has an older respray, and it looks and has held up great. So I'm not an original paint bigot.

Edit 3: (boy, I just can't shut up) note interior restoration is expensive. Might want to price headliner replacement, seat recovering, dashpad, carpet kit, etc.

[imcarthur]

Well, #1 (the repaint) is going for a PPI. I will keep #2 in reserve (if nobody grabs it first).

Thanks for all the great replies.

The repaint is 5 years old & pristine (almost) with less than 5K miles, so it has aged well, which denotes a quality job. The interior needs a 'freshening'. Leather & carpet cleaned and/or replaced/dyed. The seats are just OK but might be restorable. I have done all the costing scenarios & have a good grip on $s involved.

I will see what the PPI reveals . . . my last PPI - near-mint 61K 85 coupe in Houston, revealed a 50% & 55% leakdown in cyl 3 & 4, so I walked. It's still for sale. See:

It Failed

Ian