I've had my '95 Talon for 13 years. It has been in two serious rear end collisions, had the roof and mirrors pooly painted, and has a junkyard front bumper. The repairs in the rear are failing (rust coming through bondo and cracking paint). The non-original clear and base on the roof and mirrors are chipping. The front bumper is a junkyard piece and has cracking non-original paint. I had removed all of the emblems and bump strips, intending to get a paint job. That was until I saw how much all of this was going to cost. I have gotten three estimates and the two trust worthy guys with lifetime warranties are $3800+. That is just to knock the rust out, fix a couple dings, sand everything down, and paint the exterior with a simple base and clear. Here is what the end result of that would look like:



$3,800 is a lot of money and way more than the car's street value. I really do love the car and intend to keep the car another 13 years. I have the money, but I have also been thinking about different rims, tires, brakes, etc. Spending this much on paint would probably push back any other mod purchases 2 years.

Part of me just says, fuck that...I'll just go Mad Max on it. I can take a few days off of work, do a decent repair on the rear, sand the bad paint off, and paint the whole thing satin black. That might be from a rattle can or maybe I'll borrow a spray gun. I think if I stick with satin, it will hide any imperfections in my sanding. It might look like this:



Another part just tells me to drive it and just enjoy the paint that is still on there (from 30 feet away, you can hardly tell). I have been going round and round on this for days, but can't settle on anything. This is a tough enough decision, that I really would like some input on.

Poll result (19 votes) Full repair and all new paint - $3800 (4 votes) Vote DIY repair and Mad Max rattle can it black satin - $300 (8 votes) Vote Do nothing and let nature take it's course - $0 (4 votes) Vote Suggest something else? (3 votes) Vote (0 votes) Vote (0 votes) Vote

I would go nautical and do the whole roller with boat paint when you have time.

-K-

In all honesty, im in the same boat. About 3yrs ago, someone cracked my front bumper and kicked in a corner of the back bumper while it was parked at the mall. Since then, both door handles have broken off, the headliner has begun to sag, and no matter how well I have dryed her off after a tender loving hand car wash, she has begun to rust in a small corner of the door.

Im starting to get frustrated myself. If that is your only ride, and you want to keep her as you stated, then regardless of the street value, I would put the money into it. Now, thats given that you wouldnt be putting yourself in a financial bind.

To kind of put things into perspective, you can get a 99-02 3 series BMW for a couple more grand than what your paint job will cost. So... it all really depends what is more valuable to you.

-cms

I am a big fan of flat black.

However, I would have a professional do it. Rattle can will look like shit no matter how well you prep it yourself. Probably much cheaper than a complete revamp stock color & clear to boot.

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'95 Eclipse TurboGS (garage deco)
'95 TSi AWD (restoring a survivor)
'97 Talon ESi-T (poor impulse control)
'99 Eclipse RS-T (daily beater)
'13 Evo X (mostly stock)
'17 Sienna (Middle Aged Dad Mobile)



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I like flat black but a 2g looks like shit in flat black IMO.

Paint it. Its a unique color and its been with you for so long. 3800 is dirt cheap. 13 years, the car has earned it.

I contributed to the Wiki.

Black it out, gloss or flat. Flat=badass, even with a rattle can.

Suggest you do it yourself. Save money for performance.

Next time my car needs paint, Im going to simply replace all panels with carbon fiber (minus quarter panels and roof)j. Awesome thing about a 2g is that the price of this is comparable to paint!

2gnt: '99 RS-T, killed by a toyota, pending rebuild...
Daily: Volt
Daily #2: '99 EVG ebike- STOLEN by PEDRO

Do the repairs that you're capable of doing yourself and bust out all the prep work. I saw that bumper you modified, you're capable of pulling it off. Once you've done the prep work the paint will be cheaper.

What you were quoted is pretty good IMO. Who cares what the street value of the car is, you plan on keeping it until the wheels fall off, isn't it worth more than the quoted price to you?

Erik P.
Official 2GNT thread Hijacker
Some say that he's driven over more Covenant than he's shot, and that his grenades aren't where you'd expect them to be...
All we know is, He's not The Stig... But he is The Stig's Spartan cousin!

I always liked the look of your car, Flat black would look sick but im not sure how it would look rattlecanned.

Thank you mobil one for rust proofing my driveway.

I say don't paint it. Save the money and grow it.

If you're destined to spend money on the car, start with the mods you want the most, and see if you have enough left to do the flat black.

As you hinted at in your post, even the most saavy 2GNT'er won't shell out what you've put into it should you ever decide to sell. So the investment is really for your own warm fuzzies inside, which at the end of the day- is all that matters.

Just to follow up, I decided to get the car professionally repaired and painted. I did the disassembly and assembly labor, getting the total down to $3,296. I took everything apart possible so that they could get into all of the nooks and crannies. While the car was apart, I took care of some other rust, undercoated the wheel wells and rear, put in new fender liners, and adjusted the panel/bumper/spoiler gaps to be perfect. It took a couple months, but here are the results:






Corbin
'95 ESI-T

Now with more power and fewer leaks



Humble servant of the Wiki

Gorgeous! Makes me happy to see another 2G back in force.

On a side note, is that an AFCO radiator you have tucked into front core support?

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2012 2500HD LML

Looks great man! Glad you decided to fix her up!

1999 Eclipse GS
Built motor
Hahn 16G Turbo w/ FMIC
Hahn Stage 5 Portfueler (270's & 500's)
Zeitronix Zt-2 wideband w/ 3.5bar MAP
3" SS Turbo Back
CM Stage 4 Clutch and Fidanza Flywheel
Baer Big Brake Kit

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2012 2500HD LML

Looks awesome man!

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/3130861

Fucking GORGEOUS Corbin!

Erik P.
Official 2GNT thread Hijacker
Some say that he's driven over more Covenant than he's shot, and that his grenades aren't where you'd expect them to be...
All we know is, He's not The Stig... But he is The Stig's Spartan cousin!

awesome. i just got mine done, same G56 too I know how you feel

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http://www.2gnt.com/quote_db.php?id=278

Outside of Corona: "That sucks, peace out..." (jamie walks away)... "Sweeet, what we doin?" -Zac
Tim's garage (prior to motor install): "Im gonna smoke real quick, that way if you fuck up I am already nicotined up" -Tim

Looking good man! Looks like straight showroom quality.

I think if you plan to keep it for a long time, spend the money on a paint job if you can afford it without being in a crunch. Your interior is awesome, you might as well have the outside match.

Erik P.
Official 2GNT thread Hijacker
Some say that he's driven over more Covenant than he's shot, and that his grenades aren't where you'd expect them to be...
All we know is, He's not The Stig... But he is The Stig's Spartan cousin!

roflllll

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http://www.2gnt.com/quote_db.php?id=278

Outside of Corona: "That sucks, peace out..." (jamie walks away)... "Sweeet, what we doin?" -Zac
Tim's garage (prior to motor install): "Im gonna smoke real quick, that way if you fuck up I am already nicotined up" -Tim

Gotta say Corbin, I've stayed out of this because......well, because I hate green cars, lol. But she does look pretty smooth....and clean!

Captain Caveman

96 RS Turbo 11.414 @ 119.62 MSNS, Crower 2 NA cams, BW366, 10.5 comp, UDP, 60mm TB, W/A intercooler, 3.55 tranny 567.9whp 430tq
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98 RS DD 12.5 comp on stock ECU, LTH, Crower 2's, Koni, GC, Hypercoil, DG hats
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99 GS stocker auto 17.7@77mph!

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