XanderMan

I located a Silver 85 GSL-SE near my area of New York City ...I am thinking about purchasing it but needs some minor body work ( dents on the hood and minor rust in some areas) and fully repainted ....Can anyone tell me a fair price i would be charged in my area to have this done ??? the guy is asking 4700 for the car but will give it too me for 4,000 ...but i want to offer him lower because of the body of the car ...i was thinking 3200 to offer to him ....everything else on the car seems to be in working order ..i did test drive it already ....the car only has 68,000 original miles ( i did a carfax on the car and everything checks out ) So what do you think can someone in the group give me some needed advice on this matter ..Also if there is anyone that lives in the NY/NJ/CT Region that knows of a reputable auto body /Paint shop they can reccomend to do the job ..please let me know ...Thanks for any feedback

wankel=awesome

my black 85 gsl was quoted at 5k for exterior paint, if i supplied the trim/rubber. No underhood painting

XanderMan

Damn ... i figured it would be that much

Banzai

iTrader: (13)

Although I'm sure you can find lower prices, quality work will not be cheap unless your closely related or some such. Body work is not something you want to skimp on if you intend on keeping the car. The prices of materials (paint, additives, ect.) have sky rocketed for shops in the last 5 years. Guess where those increases get passed to? Plus finding and paying for quality help is not easy.

I'd look for a small independant guy who caters more to the classic or hot rod enthusist. They rely on word of mouth and customer relationships to stay in business as opposed to the assembly line process of insurance claim repair shops. Those body shops get paid a set amount for the job regardless of the time it takes. A lot of times that enviorment will promote rushed work or cutting corners to increase the volume (and their paycheck).

Again, the smaller guy will typically care more about his current project and that it's done right, to the customers satisfaction. You'll pay more, but what good is it to save a few bucks and not be happy with the outcome?

Stevan

iTrader: (17)

You have to dig deep to find the extent of the rust. I went to look at a car with a friend and we looked in all the usual places. The car looked great until the my friend took the carpet that covers the tail lights off and looked up at the "rain gutter" area and it was rusted all across with no sign on the outside.
I have always cringed at getting vehicles painted. Although I've only had it done twice, to the same truck. First time it was $1500 and one of the fenders had spider cracks after a year or so. Second time, 15 years later, I had put a later model cab and fenders on the truck and did some filling and sanding and took it to Macco, less than $300 (no bed, just cab/fenders) also it was a ford white color that they do a lot of.. I did also remove all the glass and most everything they would have to tape off. Anyplace that cheap won't take the time to tape things off correctly. The paint is thin and there is some orange rind texture but overall I'm happy with it.
There are ads on Craigslist offering flat black and recently white paint jobs for $200-300. The next vehicle I have painted I will pay them to put additional coats/thickness on so it can be safely wet sanded.

RxTex

iTrader: (4)

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I too am working towards an exterior paint job on my first gen. I have been intending to start a new thread in hopes of answering a few questions before I get further into it...but maybe we can combine efforts in this thread??

I was hoping to put together a "Pre-Paint" Shopping List of sorts..

It would include any items that should always be replaced when painting a first gen (some rubbers,seals,adhesives?), as well as anything that you forgot about or wish you'd done differently with your last 1st gen paint job. (Engine swap/gone turbo jokes aside)

No thread jack intended! I will start my own thread if need be.

Experiences?

7aull

iTrader: (2)

AS others have said here, I would look long and hard at the chassis before you commit to this car. The mileage is attractive, but the rust issues counter that. RX7s rust. And they rust worse where you live.
Be afraid: if you _see_ rust, then there is much more you do NOT see!
Check:
-sunroof gutter: pull (it just peels up) the inner rubber weather seal up that rims the sunroof hole
-hatch gutter, as suggested here: again, lift up the weather strip on the lower edge and have a peek
-Guaranteed: rear lower fenders, behind wheels will be trouble!
-check spare tire well
-remove interior rear storage bins behind seats. 7s have been know to rust right thru in there
-remove rear tires and check forward control arm pivot mount points and the sheet metal they attach to.
-lips of rear fenders
you see my point? These unseen areas can make your bodywork cost skyrocket. This does NOT sound like a $4K car, inspite the mileage. I see VERY nice, solid SEs with NO rust-stories going for $6K+ on ebay and Craigs. Believe me, the $2K difference may not _begin_ to make your car anything like those cars.
Pay now or pay later. Buy the best one you can.

Sorry. Not trying to be a Downer. RX7 are great cars, and as solid or more so than most cars of their era. And thanks to 100s-of-1000s sold there are some really nice ones out there. Still. Step back. Look around. I bought my 80SA in California. And I live in Alaska! Don't be afraid to cast a wide net. The airfare money you spend and the drive home will cost you a LOT less than the money-pit of a bad local choice.

Maybe post some detailed pics of the car and we can all give you a better idea.

Stu Aull
80GS
Alaska

murben

I agree 100% with 7aull. I'm from upstate ny, so I know how easily cars rust around here. If you can see rust that needs to be taken care of already, I wouldn't pay anywhere near 4k for it. For reference, I was able to pick up my '85 with 55,000 original miles on it a couple of years ago for $3300. Rust free and great original paint (other than a couple of minor scratches here and there), just needed a new clutch and exhaust. I will tell you that there are some pretty nice RX-7's that come up for sale every now and then up around here, you just have to be patient and keep your eye out for them. I found mine listed as an e-bay classified ad in Rochester, NY.

itr78

such a great point 7aull.

i just bought an 84 gsl. paint's good but there's parts that can be freshened up. i too started thinking about eventually getting a paint job in the future - and what i would need to prepare before doing so because i didn't realize how hard some of the trim pieces / parts are getting to find. i'm at a point where i'm debating if i should just start buying parts i see on ebay/online right now just in case i might have trouble finding it later.. any suggestions?

RX-7 Chris

iTrader: (19)

$4k for the repaint is a good price is he is using quality PPG paints, evercoat fillers, 3M tape and gold sand paper. The repaint of my car is costing about that. The cost of materials alone is about $1500. Just paint is about $800, this includes primer, sealer, base, and clear plus hardeners and reducers. On top of the paint, there is fillers, tape, sand paper, masking paper, etc.

You can check out my GSL-SE build thread or blog to get an idea of what is being done (blog has more detail). PM me if you have any questions.