Cheapo paint jobs...

[Drunken Hamster]

Since I want to part with my truck for fair worth, and 3 grand is too much to spend on paint and body, I was initially thinking that I could perhaps paint and body the truck myself.

Until I saw the results of my neighbor's "Econo" paint job. (maaco hut cheaper, apparently.)

So, I took pics and I want everyone's opinion. This whole car was painted a different color from stock and it costed them $450.

What do you think? Good route to get 3g's more out of selling my truck?

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[17CrewCab1500]

I've been in paint and body for a long time.

I've seen worse paint jobs for sure.

Why not post a picture of your truck as it sits.. We'll go from there.

 

[ramportin1]

Same as above and also seen much worse "professional" jobs for considerably more money. That being said, a 450 dollar respray will not tac on another 3 grand to your truck

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[Purplert]

Trucks still not gonna be worth 7k even with a Macco paint job..


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[Drunken Hamster]

Recent pics. Unfortunately deleted exact pics of body damage.

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[Drunken Hamster]

Moderation Edit. Nothing to see here...

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Just took these pics, too. Mostly the dents instead of the scratches. The last three are failed shots of a fingertip sized dimple

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[bulrid8]

You are looking at a 13 year old truck. That has significant body damage and It is 2wd. I would say it could get $3000-3200 around here.
Any time you buy a used older truck, you need to understand you may never get your money back out of it. That is expected.

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[Demon-HeMi]

we have all told ya you wont get what you're expecting out of your truck, you want 3 grand more for your truck you will have to put 3 grand in the glove box, and the KBB always list the trucks higher than they are and that 6-8k would be in MINT condition inside and out, and there is not a $450 paint job in this world that will even look like close to a $3k improvement, take it from a body shop owner, even when i do my own paint jobs, it cost me more than $450 in materials, hell a real plasti-dip job cost more than $400

 

[MarshRam]

I agree with all of the above. I sold an 07 TRX4 with 90k miles for 11k 2 years ago just after I put $2500 in repairs on the motor, because it wasn't take care of properly before I got it and I didn't do a good job of properly inspecting my used purchase from a dealership when I got it. In hindsight, the signs were there. That hurt bad, but lesson learned.

Best advice I can give is cut your losses and move on and don't waste time trying to figure out how to get a few more bucks that are less than likely to come your way. Invest in your next truck with a mindset of keeping it for a good ten years+ or invest further in what you already have and plan to keep it for awhile. Probably not what you want to hear, I get it, but it's reality.

Good luck!

 

[Purplert]

we have all told ya you wont get what you're expecting out of your truck, you want 3 grand more for your truck you will have to put 3 grand in the glove box, and the KBB always list the trucks higher than they are and that 6-8k would be in MINT condition inside and out, and there is not a $450 paint job in this world that will even look like close to a $3k improvement, take it from a body shop owner, even when i do my own paint jobs, it cost me more than $450 in materials, hell a real plasti-dip job cost more than $400

This

You need to get that $7k number out of your damn head out it’s not going to happen. Not everything keeps its value forever, it’s a old 2wd truck with body damage it’s not as desirable as you think it want it to be. You keep saying low miles what’s the mileage ?


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[Drunken Hamster]

This

You need to get that $7k number out of your damn head out it’s not going to happen. Not everything keeps its value forever, it’s a old 2wd truck with body damage it’s not as desirable as you think it want it to be. You keep saying low miles what’s the mileage ?


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111,5xx

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[Wahrsuul]

Well, he's in FL, 4wd wasn't as big a deal when I was there. Also, doesn't seem to have much (or any) noticeable rust. In FL, again that's a big deal. Does the A/C work? Another big thing in FL.

Still as I've been told multiple times, KBB and NADA are "Guides", not the final word. In the end, it's only worth what someone will give you for it. A paint job will only accentuate the damage to the truck, the body needs to be straightened first.

That being said, I have a copy of an article from a guy who did roller paint jobs on a couple of vehicles. The pics looked pretty good, and I'm tempted to try it on the old 98 Ram just to see what it looks like.

 

[Casper]

I've been in paint and body for a long time.

I've seen worse paint jobs for sure.

Why not post a picture of your truck as it sits.. We'll go from there.

xxxxxxxxxxx
Anybody else remember Earl Scheib "I'll paint any car for $99.99!" ?

They charged extra to tape newspaper over the tires and even more to remove trim.

As to the OP's pictures, he's got cancer where the paint is bubbled, and that driver side fender/door crunch is a walkway moment unless I'm looking for passenger side parts--and then I'm not paying with Benjamin's.

 

[Black W900]

Seriously...That poor old truck has had it!
My '08 RAM Big Horn 4x4 in mint condition inside and out with new tires and new'ish brakes and rotors will fetch about $11,000...maybe.

 

[TurdHorn-2500]

about the paint on the OP's truck... i'm guessing from those pictures that the truck is not very clean right at the moment. I personally would do a good hand wash, a good clay bar application, and a nice paste wax on it and then see what you think. and then get a cheap polisher and get those swirl marks out if you are pleased so far. and i bet you could hammer out the worst dents a little bit. no guarantee of satisfaction of course, but you may be really surprised. and that's all pretty cheap to do. my trucks' paint and clear coats are hideous lol, but keeping them clean makes a HUGE difference.

oh, and do NOT get a maaco paint job on that truck lol! you'll only find bubbles in the clear coat & overspray everywhere!

edit: you may already know all this lol

 

[charonblk07]

Ok, so I decided to do a bit more research than some others. In Hillsborough, FL on Autotrader there are 9 2wd Rams for sale that are 2003-2005, and of those, there are 5 that are quad cabs. All are in immaculate body condition and range between $6500-$9000 with one anomaly at $11,000, all but one are ~115-150K miles. The problem you're going to face is the body damage on yours will drastically reduce the value. The front fender and rust bubbles alone will cause a lot of people to walk away, so unless you replace that front fender, straighten the door, and get the rust pockets fixed you're seriously going to be looking at a value around $4-5K if not less, provided everything else works. A $450 paint job will not increase the value if you're just going to be spraying over a bad body, which is of greater concern than the condition of your paint. I know most won't say it, but if I was walking up to a truck a 20yr old was trying to sell it, I'd be looking closely at it because I know how me and most guys I knew treated vehicles at that age, which is another strike against you.

Now, you can list a truck for whatever you want, it's what someone else will buy it for that really matters. If you list it for $7K and nobody buys it you have to see if it's worth it to you to lower the price or fix the damage. If you fix the damage like it needs to be, you can be spending $1-2K to do it and you'll still be asking $7K but now only making $5-6K. $3-5K is a cutoff for people just looking for a cheap vehicle to get them around, over $5K people are looking at more so you need to offer a vehicle they'd want to buy.

 

[Drunken Hamster]

Okay, I'm not saying paint it as is, I'm saying pull good condition parts (fender and tailgate) to pug on, have the bed side body work done, then have it painted.

And what are rust bubbles? This doesn't have body rust aside from the already damaged areas, and the undercarriage is only lightly surface rusted on a few areas.

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[Drunken Hamster]

Lol, my truck doesn't have rust bubbles. It was hit and the paint is chipping/flaking there, now.

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[ramportin1]

I figured out the best way to add 3 grand to your truck man