Selling question...repainting front bumper or leave it?

goldlifter · Jan 31, 2014

Ok, I have decided to part with my 2000 steel gray rt10 after picking up another 97 B/W gts The rt10 is mechanically perfect and cosmetically very good but the front bumper has numerous rock chips after 30k miles. Would repainting the front bumper scare prospective buyers off or would it add value if I took before/after pictures to show it wasn't from an accident? Thanks in advance!

mjorgensen Woodhouse · Jan 31, 2014

We have painted many a chipped or scraped front covers and it generally is met with a positive to a prospective buyer IMO.

hiss highness · Jan 31, 2014

My insurance company pays for rock chips as a road hazard claim, had it redone last year and have a claim in this year as well, costs me 100 bucks extra a year

gb66gth · Jan 31, 2014

Always better to paint it

mbccenter · Feb 1, 2014

Hard color to match so if it is a poor job will be worse off but if done well you will be better off.

Camfab · Feb 3, 2014

mbccenter is right on, remember its got 30K on it, its not a trailer queen. The perfectionist looking for that perfect car isnt looking for yours, at least not right now anyway. 25 yrs from now your car in its current condition may be worth more. The guy buying your car will appreciate a perfectly painted front end that makes him feel like he's getting a new car. I've read that it requires a three stage paint process, and the likelyhood of getting it done right will depend on the experience and care of your painter.

GRANGER73 · Feb 3, 2014

Paint it...best bet.

W3R3W0LF · Feb 3, 2014

Your post reminded me of my previous sports car right before the Viper and what the front looked like after 10K miles. I just bought the Viper and dropped it off today for a full front clear 3M mask. It was around $800 with 5 year warranty. How much is the re-paint going to cost you? I am curious as to how cost effective the front mask is going to be.

PS, I didn't repaint the nose on the previous sports car when I sold it recently and it was a sore spot for several buyers. IMO, if it is damaged you will get your money back at very minimum if you have it repainted and should have an easier time selling the car as it will look perfect.

ACELLR8 · Feb 3, 2014

W3R3W0LF said:
Your post reminded me of my previous sports car right before the Viper and what the front looked like after 10K miles. I just bought the Viper and dropped it off today for a full front clear 3M mask. It was around $800 with 5 year warranty. How much is the re-paint going to cost you? I am curious as to how cost effective the front mask is going to be.

PS, I didn't repaint the nose on the previous sports car when I sold it recently and it was a sore spot for several buyers. IMO, if it is damaged you will get your money back at very minimum if you have it repainted and should have an easier time selling the car as it will look perfect.

I was just quoted $1500 by one of the best shops in my town to totally strip my 95 bumper down and paint. I have had it done in the past for $500 but it just does not last. It just gets blasted up again in a couple years. I definitely think the factory paint is more durable, as I have never had the front of my 01 repainted and it looks near perfect compared to the 95 which has been repainted 3 times. Now it I think it is time to strip it all the way down and start again.

I would definitely get it done as i would prefer one that has been repainted properly vs being all chipped up.

terminator02 · Feb 3, 2014

I think it was already perfectly analazyed in an earlier post:
1. The buyer isn't getting the 5k garage queen nor looking for one so you may as well sell the best car you can. Repaint is better.
2. If you kept the car, in a matter of years, original everything (even imperfections) will fetch more money.

Sounds like you are selling now, so go for the repaint. And for the record, 30k is not a high mileage car. With 2014/2015 cars coming out, I would say in the "Viper World" your mileage is about 'average.'

I have 28k on my 2000 ACR and am not repainting anything because I plan to keep this car for awhile (bought in 2009). IF I do repaint, it will be some ridiculously awesome 'not factory' matte black, gray, or other color that appears to just me. Good luck.

plumcrazy · Feb 3, 2014

id like to know if spending the 4-$500 to properly paint the fascia would actually pay off ?

GRANGER73 · Feb 5, 2014

ACELLR8 said:
I was just quoted $1500 by one of the best shops in my town to totally strip my 95 bumper down and paint. I have had it done in the past for $500 but it just does not last. It just gets blasted up again in a couple years. I definitely think the factory paint is more durable, as I have never had the front of my 01 repainted and it looks near perfect compared to the 95 which has been repainted 3 times. Now it I think it is time to strip it all the way down and start again.

I would definitely get it done as i would prefer one that has been repainted properly vs being all chipped up.

I have an NOS bumper asking for 1500. You could put that away and go crazy with the one you have

heath1225 · Feb 11, 2014

I had mine repainted and it was worth it for the peace of mind alone. I hate knowing there were chips on the lower lip of the bumper.

Matt M PA · Feb 12, 2014

...them there's also the thought that a potential new buyer could wonder why it was painted. Was it really just stone chips? Accident damage? You know the story....but buyers can be fickle. Would you believe everything a car seller told you?

AZTVR · Feb 12, 2014

Matt M said:
...them there's also the thought that a potential new buyer could wonder why it was painted. Was it really just stone chips? Accident damage? You know the story....but buyers can be fickle. Would you believe everything a car seller told you?

I definitely recommend taking detailed high resolution photographs of the "before" condition, just before the painting. Maybe one shot in front of the paint/body shot to show that it was not damaged when you arranged for the paint job. That should satisfy the concerns of most possible skeptics.

ohlarikd · Feb 14, 2014

Matt M said:
...them there's also the thought that a potential new buyer could wonder why it was painted. Was it really just stone chips? Accident damage? You know the story....but buyers can be fickle. Would you believe everything a car seller told you?

I was going to say the same thing. Every time I saw a car that was repainted, I had to wonder if there was an unreported accident. Its just something that sticks in your mind when you are looking at several similar cars. I personally would prefer it with rock chips. I expect that in a 30K mile car, like many have said, so I have more trust in its history.

Selling question...repainting front bumper or leave it?

goldlifter

Viper Owner

mjorgensen Woodhouse

Enthusiast

hiss highness

Enthusiast

gb66gth

Enthusiast

mbccenter

Legacy Supporting Vendor

Camfab

Enthusiast

GRANGER73

Enthusiast

W3R3W0LF

Viper Owner

ACELLR8

Enthusiast

terminator02

Viper Owner

plumcrazy

Enthusiast

GRANGER73

Enthusiast

heath1225

Viper Owner

Matt M PA

Enthusiast

AZTVR

Enthusiast

ohlarikd

Enthusiast

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