Changing the color of a modern car?

How bonkers of an idea is this?

I have a 1997 Boxster that I absolutely love driving, and over the course of my ownership, I've made some nice, strategic upgrades to.

The trouble is, I kind of hate the color (not categorically, just on this car). First-gen Boxsters weren't offered in the color I want, and I can't afford to just go special order one from the Porsche Sonderwunsch department, so...

If I were to do it, I would strip the car to the bare shell and have it professionally repainted in Ferrari grigio titanio (titanium silver), erasing all traces of the original color...everywhere.

Just how crazy is this idea, and how much would it de-value the car?

I'd sooner try to track down a similar car in a color you like. You're going to drop what--like $4-6k minimum to get it done properly???

I don't think it'll de-value the car if it's done "right"--it's not like the Boxster is a rarity.

Isn't your Boxster already a gray metallic?

IMHO how much faster will that color make it? If it doesn't improve the braking, handling or power....why?

Why do you care what it does to the "value"? It's your car, do whatever you want to do with it to make yourself happy. A Boxster isn't an investment, it's just a car.

Sell it and buy a silver one? I know its not the exact color you want, but still way easier. Or vinyl wrap the red one in a color you like? Stripping a newer car to the shell to repaint seems like a huge job.

I think $4-6K would be about a quarter of the money required if you are anything remotely resembling a Porsche owner. Perfection will be barely adequate, and I'm not saying this to be a knob. Car owners, in my experience, will accept WAAAAYY more paint issues with a brand new car than they will on their pos they just got back after an insurance claim, and I have no reason to expect you will be any different with your baby.

And if thats not true, roll on a coat of Krylon.

To answer your original question, breaking the paint is generally disastrous to Porsche used values. Painting it a non factory color even more so. A good color change is a nightmare and whatever you think it will cost, double it. Then add another grand or so for all the various trim pieces that will break when you're stripping the car.

If this is a car you intend to keep forever, go for it. It'd also be a great time to do a cosmetic restoration and replace any faded trim, ripped seals, add that spoiler and lip kit you've always wanted, roll the fenders without fear of ruining the paint, etc...

Be sure to get some references for any shop you're considering. If you've never had a car stuck in "body-shop hell" for years at a time be sure to google some stories for inspiration and then do even more research about anyone you're giving the job to.

If you are cnsidering this, it seems to me that you plan on keeping the car a long time. So while you will likley de-value the car a bit, does it really matter? The lower resale will probably pale in compairison to the cost of painting anyway. What is the resale on it now? Now add the tens of thousands of miles you will probably put on it in the future, and the fact that you upgraded it already too. Probably not a huge amount of cash in the resale of the car anyway.

The color I see is not bright yellow or red or something, meaning a darker silver-ish color will not be incredibly difficult either.

I would get some real quotes from local paint shops. 6K can get you a pretty good paint job, and a 1st gen Boxster is not exactly a huge or difficult car to paint relative to say a 59 Caddy. And I would look into just how hard it would be for you to do some of the work yourself in terms of sanding etc. IIRC GRM did a really good article on that with one of the Volvos awhile back, maybe 2 years ago.

• Strip it to a bare shell == free
• Acid dip + white primer == $800
• Spray job on clean, stripped chassis == $500 - $2k depending on paint/shop choice (My old E30 was $275 at Maaco for single stage yellow)
• Reassembly is free but you will proabably need to replace the windshield because you broke it taking it out. Say... $500 for incidentals.

good point GPS... the more work you are willing to do in prep.. the cheaper the paint job will be.

At minimum, you are going to want the insides of the doors, and under the hoods the same colour. You can probably get away without painting the engine compartment as nobody knows how to get to the engine anyway

aussiesmg wrote: IMHO how much faster will that color make it? If it doesn't improve the braking, handling or power....why?

Do nice/clean clothes make you smarter or stronger?

Does your house keep out the rain better in pepto-bismol pink or your favorite house color?

One of the functions of a car is to be aesthetically pleasing to it's owner. If that wasn't a function, then Aztecs would have sold in the numbers GM envisioned.

I won't own a car I a color I don't like on it.

Vinyl wrap

I like it the way it is. But then I haven't owned a non-red vehicle since 1975 (even my motorcycles were red).

I have only had a complete repaint like you are talking about done once. I paid for 1/2 and the other guys insurance paid for the other 1/2 but it still cost me $2000 back in 1966. It was an Alfa with very faded red paint and the accident damage meant the whole left side had to be painted and there was no way to match the color.

The fact that you want to paint the car a "non-OEM" color will have an effect on the value of the car just because of the make of the car.

However, if you plan on keeping the car for a long time and can afford the cost, I say go for it.

M030 wrote: How bonkers of an idea is this? I have a 1997 Boxster that I absolutely love driving, and over the course of my ownership, I've made some nice, strategic upgrades to. The trouble is, I kind of hate the color (not categorically, just on this car). First-gen Boxsters weren't offered in the color I want, and I can't afford to just go special order one from the Porsche Sonderwunsch department, so... If I were to do it, I would strip the car to the bare shell and have it professionally repainted in Ferrari grigio titanio (titanium silver), erasing all traces of the original color...everywhere. Just how crazy is this idea, and how much would it de-value the car?

It is a 97 boxster. So it is value is nothing special. If the car is near show perfect then maybe it would hurt the value. If the color change is only on the outside it wil hurt the value.

If however you strip it to a shell and repaint the shell then re-assemlble it might even improve the value.

Quality counts, but you will never get your money back out you put in.

I have been a Porsche owner for 13 years and PCA for 11 years. If you do it right the value will be good. Done poorly or half assed and the value will suffer. Doing it right is expensive and time consuming. If you see any place that looks like it was repained not by the factory it may hurt the value.

That will be a tough job. The labor will be a nightmare and very time consuming and you had better take many many pictures. I would also suggest selling it and buying a color you like better. I'm changing the color on my 72 Firebird and doing a very thorough job, but that's childs play compared to doing the same on a modern car.

Buying a silver one would certainly make more sense, but...I've decided color change it anyway.

I have no plans to sell it, so I guess the resale thing doesn't matter so much.

Thanks for all the advice!

M030 wrote: Buying a silver one would certainly make more sense, but...I've decided color change it anyway. I have no plans to sell it, so I guess the resale thing doesn't matter so much. Thanks for all the advice!

Def strip it and have it acid dipped. It will remove all the old paint, undercoating, rubber and sound deadener is one pass. Make sure its shot with primer before it sits for more than a few hours and you get to start from a clean slate. The only other prep you need is to fix any dings that were there before it went in the drink. It will be 100lbs lighter too.

In reply to Giant Purple Snorklewacker:

Good idea!

At that point, I wonder what it would cost to have the unibody seam welded...

I'm out of my mind, I know.

Will new paint be as strong as factory paint? Just wondering .

mad_machine wrote: ... You can probably get away without painting the engine compartment as nobody knows how to get to the engine anyway

I nominate this for the "Say what" COLUMN!

Color changing is a pita... and I agree with the above posts that you have to take "value" out of the equation. not because its a boxter, but simply because if you base that part on your decision, its a set up for a future disappointment. BUT if you remove the "value " part from the decision, and still decide to do it because itll make you happy, then i say go for it!

I would vote against a full, to the metal stripping. When restoring old musclecars that are full of rust and need major metalwork - yes. A modern car that is rust free and is simply getting a color change, no. Even the best aftermarket paint and painters will not get as good of a base as the dipped and electro-painted applications that the factory does. Scuff what is there, do any needed bodywork, put on good epoxy sealer, and paint it thick with a high quality paint. Wet sand after the fact, and you will end up with a better-than-factory finish that still benefits from the part that the factory got right.