I have had a few cars painted by the local Maaco over the years. I always bring them the car with everything removed and the bodywork done,all they have to is paint it. Can't say I was ever disappointed.
They also painted my Grand National about 10 years ago. Still have it and the paint looks great after all these years. Better than the factory paint that checked.
I say go for it if YOU are comfortable with the shop.

Here is my GN now,painted by Maaco 10 years ago:

 

Thanks so much!! Nice GN...my dad and I tinkered with a T-Type for a few years. Great cars. That's what I've heard, if all the exterior items are off and the body work done, then they dont do that bad of a job...Thanks again

 

Thanks Bobby..and good luck with your 68.
Very cool to have the high school ride back :thumbsup:

 

I'd also do as much masking as possible with professional grade tape.

 

I have had one car done by Maaco and it turned out very well in the places where I put a good effort into prep. The areas I prepped were places where I had done body work. I left the original factory finish in other places, which revealed the original factory orange peel. If the local shop has a good reputation, do the prep and go for it.

 

Primer isn't water or weather proof. It will absorb water, grease, skin oils, etc. I put a Maaco job on a well-prepped Corvette several years ago, and I was very happy with it. Less than two grand, and it looked great. Find a shop with good reviews, try to talk to the painter. I slipped him $50 and asked him to shoot some extra clear, so I could color sand and buff.

 

I am sending some parts to MAACO to have them sprayed, no blending needed, it is sort of a test to see how well they do.

 

It's all in the prep work - Do that yourself and they can spray it - How much is it nowdays for Maaco to paint a car?

 

How much is it nowdays for Maaco to paint a car?

had a 350 powered S10 pick up painted for $450 2 years ago,bc/cc

 

Having macco do it is a great idea especially if you can't or don't want to do it yourself. You hopefully have a competent guy doing it and a booth so less chance of an issue with crapp in the paint. What I wouldn't want is there materials. There's no way your getting top notch clear and base for the bargain prices they have. Either way even if I didn't care so much I'd rather supply my own simply so I know what's on the car and keep the left over for possibly in the future if you need it.

 

...What I wouldn't want is there materials. There's no way your getting top notch clear and base for the bargain prices they have...

This could be a problem... But Maaco has different levels of paint (and pricing).

There lowest price (like $300 and up) and they go up from there. I am sure their highest quality probably doesn't match what "restoration" shops would use. IIRC, the local Maaco told me their cheapest is guaranteed for 1 year, the next step up ($600+) was better paint, "integrated" clear coat with a 3 year guarantee, and there were a few more higher stages...



I have had several cars sprayed at Maaco (actually at their competitors). But I always pulled off all the trim myself. I even pulled the interior to avoid potential overspray...

As others mentioned, it the prep work where they really skimp. The mask off stuff instead of removing it. My paint it 5+ years old, and still looks good. Its not perfect, I am never winning "best Paint", but my car looks fine at the local cruise night, or driving around town... Sure "body guys" or those with $10,000 paint jobs will probably laugh at me, but who cares...

And that top coat does protect from moisture.

IMO, if you want something that looks nice, but you can't afford the $$$ from a resto shop, then Maaco can fill the void...

... put that money into a Maaco paint job. If you don't like the results, at least it will be sealed while you save the money for the paint job you really want and you can drive and enjoy your car.

:yes:
even IF you will eventually be getting a "down to bare-metal" paint job, the Maaco can give you a few years (or more) of protection and decent looks.

 

FWIW,The Maaco shop I have used in the past uses Dupont paint.

 

Check on the paint. I had a hot rod painted bythem 30 years ago. Looked great, color sanded & buffed my self. 3 years later the clear got cloudy & pealed. The red paint faded. The paint was Western Synthetic Enamel. Make sure you get an Acrylic Enamel paint.

 

I had over a grand in materials 5 years ago for base clear. Might have been closer to 1.5k

 

I picked up my parts from MAACO, they did a great job, no trash or runs in the paint plus the red they used matched the 8 year old paint on the rest of the car, I am very pleased with their paint work.

 

If you have the time and patience you can do this

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/diy-roller-paintjob-240sx-edition.html

I used to follow the original MOPAR site thread...it was hundreds long, quite a few years ago.

Otherwise, I think a MAACO job would be quite OK, for at least for me it would be. Earl Scheib used to do a budget job for $19.95, but that was back in the 50's. Used to be ad in the sports section of the Sunday paper, where items of interest to men were to be found. Fishing reports, ball scores, tires on sale, etc. etc....

 

a well prepped (before) maaco paint job is only as good as the guy spraying it, the same goes for any paint job. Find a shop that you can get feed back on, there is a maaco here that the guy is meticulous, if it is not good they sand and do it again, won't let anything substandard out the door.

 

If you are going to do most of prep work yourself and take vehicle apart that is most of the work so I would pay a reputable shop that has a painter you can talk to, a lot of guys now days are sprayers, not painters.

 

I question everything about those shops, but to each there own. I just couldn't do it on a car I planned to keep long term.

In my instance, I had $3800 in paint materials alone.

 

There are some good responses above. Here's another thing to think about. As stated before, primer isn't water proof. You should at least have a sealer on it. That could cost you a hundred or more. So put that money into a Maaco paint job. If you don't like the results, at least it will be sealed while you save the money for the paint job you really want and you can drive and enjoy your car.

 

I paint my own cars but when my daughters Mustang needed paint after a minor crash I did the body work but took it to Maaco for the paint. They painted it for less than I could buy the materials. I was surprised at how good it turned out. Their masking is a little sloppy but the paint looks good. Just don't get the cheapest paint job they offer, step up to the better paint.

 

Thanks so much guys for the great infomation! That is why I love this site! I spoke to a few Maacos and just didn't get a good vibe. I just dropped off my baby to a local painter. The crazy thing is I always thought the original color was a "Teal Blue" however turns out the original color is "Ermine White CC". I decided to go back to the Ermine white for the car. I cant wait to see it done. I'll post some pics when completed.

Thanks!

 

NOOOOOOOO.... Nope.......Negative....Abort! JMO from my experience with my chevelle going to Maaco... Take it somewhere and get it done right the first time or you just wasting you money.

 

My 2 cents,,, if you get a painter that does nothing but spray day in and day out your probably getting the best painter there is due to his massive experience. The $10,000 paint job guys do probably 5 cars a year, the Maaco guy does that many in a day and they have to look good or he's gone. Now materials??? I am fine with Dupont (if thats the products they use) for a street car.

 

its all about the prep and finish work.. Maaco does not spend time on these steps.. Thats what makes a 10k paint job. Its the amount of prep and finish work. You get what you pay for.

 

its all about the prep and finish work.. Maaco does not spend time on these steps.. Thats what makes a 10k paint job. Its the amount of prep and finish work. You get what you pay for.

Well, not always... I have seen a lot of "resto" guys overcharge too (IMO), for what they offer...


But you are correct in that its all about the prep work...

That is where Maaco will really take shortcuts, in the prep... Myself, I'd do all the prep myself, including removal of ALL the trim, etc... And make sure you are specific (written on the contract) any additional or specific work you want completed...

But for a guy like me that doesn't have a spraybooth, and isn't confident enough to spray anything more than primer, AND aren't expecting a $10k+ paint job, Maaco can be a way to have a nice looking car to cruise around and be sealed from the elements...

If I was going for a trophy-winning trailer queen, or expecting $100k at Barrett-Jackson or happily knowing my car was sitting hostage in some shop for months or years, then I wouldn't go Maaco at all...

But if I was an ordinary guy, wanting a nice looking classic to cruise around in, someone who isn't made of money, someone that maybe stores their stuff in a regular (non-climate controlled) garage where the wives may brush against the car, or stack stuff on top (gasp!), then nothing wrong with the Maaco-type paint jobs. I want a car that looks "nice", it doesn't need to be perfect or win shows, and I don't need something that will further cut into my kids college fund solely for my enjoyment ( the car itself does that quite nicely) ...

I have had several "production" paintjobs over the years (on mine or friend's and family's cars), and they all lasted and looked great for at least 4 years ( longer for the cars we kept)... I honestly don't recall any problems with deterioration due to crappy prep, etc. Yeah, paint on the trim, "masked" off emblems, chips that were scuffed and feather-edged but not really filled. It depends on what you want, and what you are willing to spend.

 

Tony at Maaco just finished my second 70 SS454 Monte. tore it up, jams and inderhood.no rust repair. $1200.

Maaco uses a corporate line of cheap paint for the summer specials. Decent stuff is extra. Most are independently owned. Waiting for my guy to get the new booth installed and then 70 number two goes in for a spray.

 

You need to make sure of their paint jobs or investigate them somehow before you bring them your car.The prior owner of my 84 El Camino had it painted at Maaco and it's BAD.Not good bad, it's horrible bad.The tailgate has potato chip sized pieces of paint falling off just cause it's windy out,revealing what looks like an etch primer gone bad.It's almost completely bare now.The bed sides,fenders, doors and hood was painted with no primer at all and is peeling everywhere.The bed was sprayed right over the OE paint without any scuffing and is peeling but suprisingly has the smallest paint chips of all the surfaces. :sad:
I'm not saying don't go there just that you should find some of the locals that have used that particular shop and gives it a good review.There are 3 Maaco's close to me, the one that painted mine is closed down now.