My 2000 EB 5.4 Expedition runs great. I intend to keep it at least another 4 years. But the red paint is really starting to fade on the hood, roof, and back door. My "big red boat" is starting to look like a "big pink boat". With only 124,000 miles on the clock, I am thinking of getting her repainted.

Has anyone gotten their Expy repainted? How much were you charged? Do you think it was worth it? thx

 

All depends on type of paint and prep you want. The more prep the better the final result will be. Best is to strip off all the old paint and remove all the trim parts, door handles, glass, etc. Very pricey, unless you some or all yourself. IMHO if you want better/longer finish get a base/clear coat vs a single stage paint- again more money.

Most shops don't want to go through all this as they get the most money by doing fenders, doors the quick insurance jobs- full body paints are no longer the norm. My point is you may have to shop around some - look at work in the shop and vehicles leaving the shop. Take your time and don't rush.

 

I recently had my black 2001 Navi in for body work after an accident took out the front bumper, grill, hood, passanger fender, both passanger doors, running board, headlight, mirror; you get the idea.

With the right side, front and hood painted, I decided to ask about ding repair and repainting the left and back. The estimate was $1000.00.

The repair was done at a dealer, but at least I know the finish is as good, if not better than the factory finish.

My ex has my 2001 Chevy which was painted in 2001 at the same dealer because of hail damage. It never gets washed or waxed and 6 years later the finish is still shiny, even through the dirt.

I would say if you have a few grand to pony up, go for it, but get it done right. Cheap paint will just look like cheap paint in a year or two.

Keep in mind that you may not be adding any value to your vehical. In Texas, repaints can actually reduce value compared to factory finish. But if it makes you feel better cruisin' in the Navi, do it.

 

First UN-official Estimate is in: I found a shop that specializes in restoration. They prefer the whole car repaint approach over the smaller crash repair jobs. He gave me an over the phone "ball-park" estimate of $2200-$2500. He descibed sanding down the old paint to make sure the new would not be affected by the older faded paint undeneath.

He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. He even mentioned the Eddie Bauer gold strips and that they are a bit pricey. I would of course visit his shop and expect to see a sample of his work.

I whole reason for this thread is due to other threads where I have read that people have experienced low trade in values for SUVs and other threads where people say the have 200,000+ miles on their Expys. Especially the 5.4.

My brother in law just topped 200K in his 5.4 F150 and he does not take half the care of it that I do of my Expedition. As of today I have 127K miles.

I intend to keep on investigating. Thanks for your posts.

 

Bottom line is you can't worry about putting that kind of money into a vehicle that won't hold its value. If you want to keep it another 3-5 years then go for it. Also, my dad always told me if you going to be a bear be a grizzly bear......

 

Of course my Great Grand Pappy used to say, 'No matter how hard you try you cant polish a turd!'

He used to say this when I was cutting rust out of his '85 Cougar...

 

I like that "Turd" comment Kind of like "put some lipstick on that pig".
I suppose I am testing the waters to get reactions. Not sure what the future will truely hold, especially if that new car bug bites me. But here are my thoughts on $$ justification: $43000-13000(trade in)=$30000 at 0% or $500/month for 60 mo. Car sales taxes here (NC) are 3% on 30000 or $900. +3months at $500=$2400 (the price of the paint job). Sounds like I'm trying to convince myself doesn't it??

 

Ha, lipstick on a pig, even better!

The cost of purchase - vs fixing old... In VA we have Personal property tax which can be hundreds of bucks every year, Plus I hate having a car payment. I guess that is still why I have my first car a 1965 TBird - oh yeah no taxes, no inspection and the tags never expire. Now all I have to do is wait till 2014 for van...