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MG MGA - To Paint, Or Not To Paint...

I'm getting ready to sell my 57 roadster and I wanted you fine folks to give me your opinion on whether I should paint the car or sell it as is. I bought this car for my son who has decided the "A" is not the car for him. I've done about all I was going to do to the car except for paint. I have the cockpit rails off now being recovered as part of the new interior kit install. I had a small shop here quote me $1000.00 for a paint job if I removed all trim. The body is in excellent shape except for a spot above the grill where an old repair has shown up. I'd classify this car as a nice driver, complete and original. I wasn't planning on a show car, just a decent paint job. What would you do?


Kelly

If your goal is quick sale, and turning a profit from the sale of your MGA, then yes, I would paint the vehicle. A sharp, new looking paint job is often largely responsible for helping to sell a car. While MGA's are sought after collectibles, a new paint job should net you a profit in excess of the cost of the paint job. (That is assuming that the body is prepped properly, and that the paint job is a good one. Does that thousand dollar paint job only mask the fender welting and other trim? Or will the fender welting and trim be removed and reinstalled? You generally get what you pay for, and a thousand dollar paint job these days is not generally top of the line. Hope this helps! Glenn
Glenn

I am having my car repainted. I have agreed to strip and reassemble including the fenders, dash and interior. I have completed the disassembly and the car will be going off to the shop in April. The body will be taken down to the metal, etched primed and multi-coated. There is no rust but some minor welding will be necessary, such as plugging extra holes in the dash and getting rid of holes where fender mirrors have be fitted. My guy is a restorer with a good reputation. Cost $50 per hour - around $7,000. Hope this helps.
Dan Barton

Dan, My guy is auto painter who smokes cigars and drinks cheap beer. But he does shoot a nice coat of paint. I couldn't afford your guy. As I said in my original post, I was fixing this car to be a daily driver for my son, and a thousand bucks is about all I would want to put into it. I am indeed trying to maximize my return on this car. I would remove all the trim myself and unbolt the fenders to replace the welting. Part of me wants to see this thing through and go ahead and get it painted. But it would be nice to ebay it and have the cash in hand in a couple of weeks. Thanks for the input guys!
Kelly Clifton

In most cases a good coat of paint will add more to the car's value than the $1000 you were quoted. A lot of buyers looking for a driver don't want something that they have to start working on right away. Get some color on it and let someone enjoy the summer driving season.
Bill Young

Kelly,
$1000 is very cheap. What kind of paint and what amount of surface prep are you getting? Good quality base coat/clear coat, compatible primer, sandpaper, tape, masking paper, etc, should cost a minimum of $500 to $800. Even at the low, low price of $25/hr for labor that leaves, at most, $500 (20hrs) for prep and finishing. Seems awfully tight. An informed buyer will want to know. Could help, might hurt. Just my opinion.

GTF
G T Foster

I got a $1000 paint job on my B once and other than the spot they missed under the tail light, some sanding marks and a couple drips, it was great for about 4 months.

I agree that spending a grand on paint may yield much more in return upon a sale, but consider the buyer's reaction when rust bubbles begin to show up on the freshly-painted car he bought from you only a couple months earlier. For $1000 you will not get proper preparation (say that 10 times fast!) and I would bet money that rust bubbles will show in short time. That's what happened on my B unfortunately. Never again!
Steve Simmons

Steve,
When I originally got the $1000.00 quote, selling the car was not even on the horizon. It sounds like I need to confirm paint quality and that his prep/paint work will give the 5 years or so of shine we talked about, or sell the car as is. The last thing I want is for someone to think I got a cheap Maaco job just to unload the car. The body is in excellent shape, nothing to hide...so a potential buyer may appreciate the fact that he doesn't have to worry about problems lurking under a fresh coat of (cheap) paint.

KC
Kelly

a grand for a paint job sounds way too low for a good job. My $5k paint job eventually turned into an $8k job, as paint was removed and defects under the skin started turning up. Sell it like it is and let the new owner spend his beer and bait money for a new finish to his liking. Adding an extra coat of paint over what's alredy there will just make it more expensive for the future owner to buy and more expensive to get re-done correctly.
R. L Carleen

I think if I were to buy a partially restored car from someone I didn't know, I would greatly appreciate photos of the body preperation before painting. Honestly the most frightening thing about buying a used British car (or most any classic) is corrosion and poor rust repair being hidden by nice paint. Something to consider doing if you decide to paint!
Steve Simmons

I think the key word here is honesty. If you sell the car as you described it, an original driver with a repaint, then there is no deception involved and the buyer knows what they're getting. There's no reason an inexpensive paint job on a carefully prepared car shouldn't last for several years. People repaint cars every day for the purpose of extending their useful life and most of those paint jobs are well less than $1K. Not every MGA on the road has to be "restored" to be a practical, fun, classic sportscar.
Bill Boorse

I am patiently looking for an MGA and as a prospective buyer would prefer to find a car with serviceable old paint than a fresh repaint. I have just seen too many with overspray into the wheel wells and the engine compartment and a little paint on some engine components giving the entire effect of a "tarting up".
Regards,
Dennis
D F Sexton

To follow on Dennis's point, a 57 with original paint--assuming yours is--is a prize. I'd leave it. Maybe buffing out the old paint will shine it up some.
Maybe it will just show up flaws you don't see with old, duller paint.
Besides, if a buyer wants a different color, your new paint may not be worth that much to him.
John V.
John Vallely

This thread was discussed between 08/03/2005 and 11/03/2005

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