I have a black '98 Saturn SC1 (2 door) that I want to get repainted the same color.  I saw the adds and since I am a poor college student with a disproportional firearms to income habit, the cheap price is tempting me to drop the hammer.  I plan on driving the car till the wheels fall off, so resale value is not an issue.  What can I expect from a 300 dollar paint job?  Is there anything I should look out for?  Key questions to ask?  

I had one of company vans repainted by them ($699) Looked good, I didn't have it jammed out though.

For something like your car, and financial position(I am in college too, I'm feelin your pain), Maaco should be fine.  It is luck of the draw with Maaco, it depends on if it is painted by a guy who is experienced(just about to quit) or new(learning how to paint).  

If you want the car to be good enough to drive around and not look ghetto, macco should be fine.  If you want a shiny straight no-runs finish wait a few months, save a few more $, and get somebody else.

Also, if your car is a dark color, or red, it is harder to paint, if it is lighter or white, it is relatively easy and hard to screw up.  

As far as questions to ask...  Its a $300 paint job,.  You could probably do some of the surface prep yourself the day before.  All the chips, scratches, and flaked off spots need feathered out.  The surface needs feathered out until smooth.  You can board and hand sand these spots roughly and then wet sand to a smooth finish.  If you do this I or a real bodyman here can tell you what to look for.  

Save your $$, put it in the bank to draw interest & then buy a car when you get a real job. MAACO is a slight, very slight cut above a spray paint can in your garage.

You want a good looking car, get a better job. Or waste your $$$.   Your call.

My .o2

Based on your car (not being mean but a '98 saturn is never going to be worth anymore than it is right now) your expectations (hopefully low since I would only consider painting at maaco if the clearcoat was totally trashed, heavily oxidized paint, etc) and the fact that you probably just want it to look a little better since you're going to be driving it for several more years, I'd say go for it.

I seem to recall that there are a lot of 'add ons' like door jambs, light/emblem removal vs masking,any chip/dent/scratch repair needed etc so make sure you're getting the 'out the door' price and it includes what you expect.

Frankly it's not going to be a work of art either way.

Personally I'd probably just keep driving it (who cares what it looks like, you're in college and you're *supposed* to have a shitty car! lol).

They repainted my dad's Corvette about half a dozen times before he gave up and took his business elsewhere. The paint job kept bubbling, cracking, peeling, etc.

They do good paint jobs normally, but the guys at the location we went to couldn't paint fiberglass to save their lives.

I worked in Maaco's for several years. If you're lucky enough to find one with a sterling reputation, then I say go ahead. Most are not quality orientated. The paintline tech, sanders, maskers, and detailers are usually paid little better than minimum wage, and are rarely worth that. The painter is usually well experienced, but they don't have time to check the prep work before painting, they're expected to be able to paint a car in under 1 hour, from the time it goes into the booth, until it goes into the oven. The ovens do nothing to harden the paint, by the way, they're just supposed to flash dry the paint so the detailer can work around the car within an hour of it's being painted. Everything is done at minimum expense to the shop. Paint is usually the cheapest swill they can buy, although some shops may offer higher quality materials, at added expense. Many shops still use synthetic enamel, which can lose up to 1/2 of it's gloss in under a year. Often, hardeners for the paint are cut back because they're expensive. Sandpaper and masking materials are the cheapest they can find. Bodymen are usually old hack artists who can't get work elsehwere, or kids straight from tech school. You get what you pay for...

Bob

Don't do it.

There is a MAACO locally that my detailer recommended.  Probably the exception rather than the rule.  

This is the deal with MAACO.


If you do the prep work yourself, take it in and flip the couple extra dollars for the decent paint.
By prep I mean, go over the entire car with a green scotch brite pad (little circles) and sand smooth any section where the clear coat or paint is gone, chipped or whatever.  Be sure to remove any traces of pin striping or any chrome molding.

Clean the snot out of the car, towel dry and then drive her on up to get a new paint job.    

as a body shop manager....MAACO SUCKS...i can't tell you how many people have brought vehicles to us after the MAACO experience...no decent body shop will even touch a car after they put their hands on it...i've seen everything from..nothing being masked off but the windows to paint cracking, peeling, runs that almost touch the ground....nasty shit...

$300 for paint on your car is just $300 you can't spend on important stuff like ammo and beer.  

Here is a Maaco paint job:


$950, including a nice coating on the hard top.  Sometimes they do nice work.  Probably not on a $2K Saturn.  Those are shadows on the side.  Maaco DID NOT do the prep, primer, or bodywork.

I have had a couple of MAACO paint jobs.  The first one was very successful--has the vehicle another 5-6 years and the paint was only starting to come off a few small sharp edges when I got rid of it.  They started out with plenty of rust on that car too.

Second one was more recent and the paint is holding up.  I think it depends on the local franchisee.  My body shop recommended MAACO after I balked at paying close to $5k to paint a $3k vehicle.

What do you care what your car looks like.  At this stage in your life you need transportation to drive from point A to point B.  What impact is a cheap paint job going to make?

Drive the wheels off the car and save your money for something worth while.

Thanks for the advise everyone........  I've pretty much settled on just buying a touchup kit to take care of a spot of particular concern and leaving it at that.  I'll just buy a new car in a couple years when I graduate.

If you're lucky you can get some extra services.  Like painting over the radiator fins (4 coats), overspraying the windows, and painting the tires.  Heck they'll even paint your tailpipe to match your body color.  And when you bring up their nice extras, you can engage in a shouting match with the owner, and almost come to blows when he gets in your face.  Only $399.95.