Paint job for 96 Eclipse Cost?

Question

I just got my 1996 Eclipse RS, but it could use a new paint job. How much would I be looking at cost-wise?

Answer 1

$1500 to $2000 for a good base coat /clear coat.

Answer 2

well first off i would never have a mechanic paint anything. i have no idea why mechanics think there painters. apply paint isnt to tuff. now to the real question as an automotive painter/artist for close to 20 years you havent given enough information. but theres a couple key things you said that make me beleive this isnt an 800 dollar macco job that can fix it. first wow its 10 years old so im sure theres some dents and dings cracked plastics and such. second u say "it could use a paint job" i dont know what you mean by that. if the body is decent and the paint is just dull go take it to a detail shop and have them buff it and wax it. for about 100 bucks you can have the car fully detailed BUT this can go up to 300 easy depending on color and the over all shape of the car. if you want a color change and have it jammed (thats paint the door jams trunk and engine james) this for the most part will cost you 2000 just about anywhere in the nation. thats for a good base/clear system. also whats the color you want? red is one of the most expensive colors and a little known fact that paint companys thin out the red 50-100% to save costs. you would need to have a good mud coat (just a base thats the same shade of the color you want). now with that all said the price depends on the brand you use. there are good cheap brands that will make you happy and look good 3 years down the road valspar is one (they own house of kolours) which for the most part invented kandys and special effects in the auto industry. if your going to fix your car up paint it if not heres some tricks to save you a bunch of money
prep the car yourself
this means take of all the moldings the bumpers and lights your self and then grab 20 pieces of 320 or 400 grit sand paper and 2 pieces of red or grey scotch bright and sand the car.
when done try and blow the dust off the car. if you dont have anything like a compressor or blower go get a leaf blower. a little dust off is better then nonenow wash the car with soap and wate. make sure you rinse it well. fact is you can pressure wash it and that should get some of the dust off.
now if you do pressure wash it let it sit in the sun for a few weeks to dry and make sure u use a towl to dry off what you can. u may go threw 5 towels u can get at "goodwill"
now make sure u find a body shop that decent and let them know what your going to do they will help you on the phone to answer questions and such (a good shop will respect you for doing what you can)
now then any good shop is either going to spray sealer or prime the whole car. this does 2 things its an adheasion promoter and it seals up and and protects the metal.
with all that said materials just in paint can range from 100 -5000 dollars shop labor is anywhere from 45-65 bucks an hour (national average) dry time is part of shop labor. and eclipse doesnt use to much paint till you do a color change but heres 1 last trick for that
if you dont have the money to get your engine compartment or trunk done go buy a roll of 2" tape and get some old newspaper outline your trunk or engine right before the color fades mask up the newspaer on the outside and then spray paint flat black. dirt is dark so u dont see it on the black and its a decent accent. if u dont like the black get a differnt color and you can always take it off with acetone.
i would be ready to spend 1500-2000 if your not going to do anywork yourself. if u will do the prep work you can spend as little as 400

Answer 3

i own a repair shop,and sometimes we also paint a few cars ,on that one it would cost around 800 at the cheapest you could get it done,and that's if the body doesn't need any repair work on it either,other wise it may cost a little more to get it done,i have painted a few of these and there easy to paint if the body is in real good shape,hope this helps,good luck with it.