Gone are the days of the $300 paint job. Yeah, sure you can get it done at a quickie joint but you'll be back in a year or two. We recently began performing bodywork on our 1987 Monte Carlo SS Project car (coming soon). After the first day we must have gone through about 20-sheets of sandpaper. Now sandpaper is not cheap - add the body filler, cleaning solvents, primer/sealer and then pay the body technician for the day and BANG! we're talking some big bucks here. After a brief sit down with my good friend we figured a real good (not a spectacular) paint job can be justified at the $5000 mark with some minor body repair. Bodyshop costs could easily topple the $2000 mark just in materials alone (a good paint is very expensive). So please chime in and let us know how you feel. We hope this sheds new light on your bodyshop experience.