Frugal place to get a 1996 Honda Civic repainted in SF Bay Area
Bhoot Nath
weathering effects. For the first 8 years, when as a family we had
only 1 car, it was housed in garage during night, and in open air/sun
during the day. For the last 6 years, however, it has been exposed to
the mild California weather all the time.
It has 180K miles, but because I have been doing all regular
maintenance, without fail, it runs perfectly. Never has given any
trouble, and the emission level is less than 2% of the California
allowable limits, so SMOG certificate is not a problem at all. Body
does have a few dings, but I am not interested in fixing that.
The value of the car is probably around $3500, and for the last 4
years, it has been driven only about 4K miles per year. My work
commute is just 1.5 miles, so I use the car mostly for weekend /
evening drives (eating out, groceries, picking child from day care,
etc.)
I got estimates for repainting from Cavallino Auto Shop, a reputable
place in Palo Alto, but that estimate is $5,600 -- clearly, I don't
need this level fancy painting, attention to detail while repainting.
I also took it to Maaco, and their estimate is $600 and $800.
I am having trouble deciding if I should go with Maaco (only 1 to 2
years warranty, but hey, the car is already quite old), or just don't
paint it at all (how quickly would it rust, if not repainted?). I
would appreciate recommendations to any other places in the SF Bay
Area (Fremont, Hayward, Palo Alto, San Jose, Redwood City, and in
between).
Bhoot Nath