Paint Quote - What is Reasonable?

[tutone]

I am sorry. 20K or 15K sounds completely out of line.
I went to trade school/body shop in the late 70s and early 80s. I opened my shop and painted a guy's Matador red 57 Bel Air in single stage enamel for $1500 bucks. Allowing for infation in today's money, that is $5300 or so.
Ok apples to apples, 1980 a 72 Super could be bought for 3500 in relatively good shape, I know, I bought one. Now by all the same inflation calculation, that would be around 13 K.
But.... The difference is. They don't make 72 Supers any more, so supply and demand takes over.
That being said, they stay up nights making auto paint and as long as people buy it at their inflated price, they will keep selling it.
I will attach a picture of a locally painted 57 from 2013. The body work and all was included. This was a 90% straight car and the total price was 4500 bucks.
I would get references and shop around and look at some people's work.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by tutone

I am sorry. 20K or 15K sounds completely out of line. I would get references and shop around and look at some people's work.

I agree.

[72c20customcamper]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

I agree.

I don’t .

Back in the 80s I made 400 a week working in a shop . Today they have to pay a real body man who paints at least 1200 a week . My buddy charges 175 an hour labor at his shop. And I’m sure I’m understating it. I painted my Chevelle for about 1500 total in 1994. Today the base coat of PPG DBU would be that much .

[tutone]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

I don’t .

Back in the 80s I made 400 a week working in a shop . Today they have to pay a real body man who paints at least 1200 a week . My buddy charges 175 an hour labor at his shop. And I’m sure I’m understating it. I painted my Chevelle for about 1500 total in 1994. Today the base coat of PPG DBU would be that much .

Point taken, and I understand overhead, shop costs, and labor.
I've been in business for myself off and on for years. But you and I both know that the paint/ insurance gimmick is a scam.
Who suffers? You and I if we have to farm this out because we cannot do the job. I hear horror stories, as noted of people waiting on a classic for years because it got put on the back burner.
I have a good friend who just sold his 15000 sq ft shop.
If I needed a panel buff, I better catch him in the summer before the deer move. The inflated cost, coupled with the lack of interested shops who estimate with a book, is why the patina/black hot rod look is popular.
I guess I will be humbled myself soon. I will be painting my 1968 Camaro.
And I will keep up with the hours/ materials cost/ and dig this thread up and post it here. It is solid like th OPs truck, and in epoxy primer.
May have to eat my words, but they taste alright. I've done it before.

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by 72c20customcamper

I don’t .

Back in the 80s I made 400 a week working in a shop . Today they have to pay a real body man who paints at least 1200 a week . My buddy charges 175 an hour labor at his shop. And I’m sure I’m understating it. I painted my Chevelle for about 1500 total in 1994. Today the base coat of PPG DBU would be that much .

I’m going with the limited info the OP gave. The biggest thing he left out was the timeframe. As we all know, time is money.

I paid the same price for the same kind of job tutone described above. The truck was not disassembled. I removed all the trim, emblems, grille, glass, etc. The shop did it as a side job in between other work. They told me it would take a month… It took just under 10 months…but it didn’t cost anywhere near $20K.

[72c20customcamper]

It’s all relative to where you live also . A friend had his car done in a shop down in Georgia back around 2015 car came out beautifully and it was about half of what it would have cost up here. I know I have around around 4k in materials so far in my truck . It adds up very quickly ,crap a good roll of masking 3m automotive masking tape is 7 bucks . Even the cleaners are expensive I use acetone for most paints it’s up to 25 a gallon

[LNP]

I do my own work myself saves a ton of money as others have pointed out. I painted cars years ago. What I ran into if you only quoted a repaint in other words a sand mask shoot send it home, then when you found rust or body damage people dont think they should have to pay no more than what you first told them. Over the years workin in garages I learned most people relate certain things as the reason for different issues. They think the venicle that has crappy body work but nice paint is a bad paint job. Loud exhaust obviously a bad muffler, coolant leak gotta be the water pump. Car wont start bad battery. And so on. So some garages especially in the paint and body world price high to cover thier behind with what they find under the paint. I did a quick paint job on my 69 for now and it still cost me bout $2500.00 far cry from 20grand but I havent strip it to bare metal yet. My 70 Challenger I got almost $6000.00 in sheetmetal. So you figure thats not installed, no sealer, no body work, no primer, or paint. It adds up quickly.