Fair price to paint a hard top?
 

I am getting a 91 yellow miata with a hard top for $500. The car just needs a timing belt. The hard top is in good shape except it needs paint. I want it to be something other than yellow anyways because my car is red, Im thinking black. The best part is, i have someone that will buy the car for $600 in the same condition minus the hard top. Cant beat that deal with a stick! Anyway, the whole reason im writing this is, what is a fair price to pay for getting the hard top painted?

i will post pictures of the car once i get a chance to tow it to my house!

depends on the current condition of the hardtop.... if it's in great shape and just needs a scuff and respray, I'd charge 150-200 bucks. if It needs any repair work, expect closer to 300.... possibly more if there's any real damage. Also take into account the underside of the hardtop, if It's yellow and needs to go another color, then expect to pay more.

i see, thats about what i was expecting but yeah i didnt inspect the underside very well

so the 91 is a repaint? or is it a 92?

it might be a 92, i know its yellow and the engine bay is yellow too so i doubt its a repaint. The title is on its way so i will see when the title arrives, i didnt ask a whole lot of questions, i saw the car with the hard top, i offered 500 and he said okay.

I paid $200 for mine to be scuffed, primed, painted and cleared.

send me pics of the car. i will probably offer you more than $600. i am looking for an original yellow. i would drive to indiana with a friend, change the timing belt and drive it back.

PM me if you are interested.

i'll even trade you one of my red hardtops for the yellow in the deal so you don't have to paint unless you are set on a black one.

You would be FAR better off selling that car and buying a black one for a few reasons:

1. A GOOD paint job for a hardtop is going to run you around $150-200 bare minimum
2. A GODO paint job for a car is going to run you $1500-2k MINIMUM
3. That is a 92 Sunburst, a rather rare car, and they do fetch a premium (up to 2k) on the used market. A 92 Sunburst in any condition with a matching hardtop is a very rare car indeed. I would change that timing belt, sell the car, and buy yourself a black car.

im cheap, so I would rattle can the hardtop black along with the a pillars and the rest of the stuff surrounding the windshild. if you do it that way though, plan on sanding/poslishing till your arms fall off. o yeah I would do the mirrors black too, I have my car painted like that (black a pillars and windshield, black mirrors, white with blue pearl on the body)

my neighbor was trimming his tree on top of my house and did not bother to wake me up to move my car. he proceeded to drop a chainsaw and a large chunk of tree on my car. The cheapest quote he could get to fix it was 1850 so I got my buddys bodyshop to do it for 12, got a vlsd, 300 dollars toward a used turbo kit, and great paint job. I wish he would drop more trees and chainsaws on my car.

sorry for the rambling post with advice you probably dont want to hear. im a bit drunk right now:bigtu::beer:

my math seems to suck when im drunk: 1200 for paint + 200 for vlsd + $300 does not equal 1850

+$150 for beer

I like my red car and i think it would go well with a black top. Also, it would be kind of hard to match the red wouldnt it? I mean, if the top was painted the factory red, it wouldnt match my faded red from 1995

if you compound the car it should match nicely. my 94 is original paint and the hardtop matches very well untill i throw a black light on the bitch

sorry, i have never had a car painted. what do you mean compound it?

detail it. polish it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_detailing

oh yeah, you can definitely do this in your garage.

It would be VERY hard to match any new paint job to an older color...even using the OEM formula for mixing. Manufacturers have different 'variations' of the same color even from the factory. The most famous example is GM 'Arctic White'...over 12 different variations right from the factory!!

The nice part is that if you're just doing the hard top, it won't be THAT noticeable...especially if you detail the entire exterior afterwards. If the luster (shine) of the top is the same as the rest of the car it'll give the illusion of matching color.

Hope this helps.