[Allen]

Hey guys,

I have a Carmon red 2004 Boxster I need to have repainted. I have extremely noticeable acid rain spots on the hood, rear trunk, bumpers and tops of the side panels. They're even more noticeable in sunlight. It's been like this for years, and I can't take it anymore. I've taken it to a good detailer to see if they could be buffed out but, after running a few tests, he said the spots are etched into the paint and the only way to remove them is to repaint.

Insult to Injury

A few days ago we had a bad snowstorm here in NJ. I backed my Boxter out to get to my snowblower and it slid back just enough to brush the side of my wife's car in the adjacent spot in the driveway. When I checked it out, I saw a 3 inch long area, about a quarter of an inch thick on the driver's side rear panel where the paint was rubbed/scraped off above the wheel well.

This is the last straw for me. The car's in perfect condition with the exception of the rain spots and new paint scrape, but I just can't bring myself to drive it in this condition, so I've decided to have the whole thing repainted.

My questions are:

(a) Where should I go to have a professional, full-body repaint job in NJ or PA? I know they have to remove all the panels and prep. I know it's labor intensive. I just want to know where the best place is to have the job done.

(b) How much should I be prepared to pay for the job? I have no dents or dings, so it seems to be a simple process of remove, prep, sand, prime, paint, replace. I want it to look like new when it's done. I want it painted the same color.

(c) Approximately how long would I be without the vehicle? This is not my daily driver. In fact I probably drive it only 4 or 5 days a month, and have less than 30k miles on it. I just want to know what to expect.

I've read this and other forums, and I haven't seen a solid answer to my questions. I can't even get a straight answer from those idiots at Princeton Porsche...not that they will ever touch my car again.

I am concerned about the car holding its value, but I'm not planning to sell it, so I'm not really concerned about resale. I just want the car to look like it did when I bought it 6 years ago and a new paint job would do it.

Any information would be appreciated.

Thanks