Repainting a Roadster

[Lou B]

What do you think of purchasing a roadster and then repainting to a different color , does it devalue it ?
Or is it better to keep the original color ? Trying to find the right roadster.

 

[jason.tv]

repainting is too much work, time, and money. Might be better to wrap it.

Then if you did all that work repainting and it's still not protected from rock chips requiring xpel ppf wrap.

I was going to wrap my car a different color but even that was too much work and money.

If you are thinking about that bright green one for $62k then yes you can wrap it and call it a day because that car gets 183 miles on a standard charge, that's amazing; if it's any other roadster I'd say just wait until you find the color you want.

 

[Lou B]

Thank you for the info it makes more sense
To wrap.

 

[TOBASH]

I disagree.

A good paint job will cost at least $5000.00 - $10,000, BUT wraps look like crap close-up while real paint when properly applied looks like glass. It is perfect.

I would just buy a Roadster in the color you want, BUT you can add pinstripes, racing stripes, designs, etc...

In another life, I used to do some auto work back in the day, on high end vehicles that pulled 99 and 100 points in more prominent car shows.

Anyone can pay for $#!+ wraps, but real paint is an artform.

I would just buy a color you like, customize with whatever design you chose, buff the existing paint to an awesome shine, and live with it.

I prefer black cars, but my Roadster is white. I live with it, and it looks terrific.

 

[DeedWest]

I once pursued painting a prior Roadster of mine. I received quotes between $9,000 and $14,000 from five different reputable body shops that had prior experience with Roadsters. It is not something worth skimping out on price for, as the carbon fiber panels take a massive amount of care & expertise to paint and cure correctly, as opposed to normal vehicles.

At this point in history with EVs, production numbers and configurations of this iconic vehicle are slated to be preserved in time. That being said, I’m the type that would argue repainting a Roadster could devalue it, depending on the rarity and configuration of the original car. Example - if you’re repainting a Radiant Red Roadster (which was the most produced color for North American VINs by a large amount), it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. If you were repainting Lightning Green or Brilliant Yellow to something else, production nerds such as myself would be very, very sad.

I agree with @TOBASH - it is worth waiting for the color you love the most (unless you are pursuing a color that was not original from factory). As an avid detailer and someone obsessed with paint correction & ceramics, I could not personally ever justify wrapping a vehicle as beautiful as the Roadster. It would drive me insane, but to each their own. Our vehicles are unique and meant to be unique - just like their owners.

I’d imagine most of us are curious - what is your ideal paint color?

 

[Logticom]

I prefer black cars, but my Roadster is white. I live with it, and it looks terrific.

White was my first choice, but I ended up with black.

 

[Lou B]

Twilight Blue, Looks Great

 

[jason.tv]

$9-14k is hell of a lot of money to spend; This would only be worthwhile if there is exterior damage or repair of a car and required it done.

 

[walla2]

White was my first choice, but I ended up with black.

I went right in the middle of your choices with Thunder Grey, and no, that's not my batmobile. Batman would never show you he owned a batmobile.

More on topic, while repainting would be a better looking option, I would hate to see an original repainted something else at this point. The number of cars continues to decline and having the original repainted is like repainting a Picasso or a Francis Bacon. Do a good wrap and ceramic if the color must change and save that original paint.

 

[DeedWest]

Twilight Blue, Looks Great

That's an excellent choice, as it's the SECOND most produced paint color for North America. You have 160+ chances of owning one.

Similarly, a good friend of mine in the Bay Area is thinking of selling his 2008 in Twilight Blue. I'll PM you some information if you'd like.

 

[TOBASH]

Twilight Blue, Looks Great

Let’s trade. LOL. I’m at 17k miles

 

[Logticom]

@TOBASH you want a blue one now?

 

[bobinfla]

Okay, I think I'm the contrary one here.

I have Founder's #19 (second owner), and (to my wife's anguish) I have not worried about keeping it original or worried about devaluing it. Mine is not meant to be a collector's piece, it's my car to enjoy and have fun with for as long as I have it (which will be until my 2020 Roadster arrives). Before I'd had it a month, I got the dash changed out to allow for a double DIN stereo, because I love music and there was no way I could read a postage stamp sized GPS display.

The paint job was four years old and a bit rough by the time I got the car in 2013. It was Signature Green, which is very dark and shows all scratches and swirl marks vividly, plus I really wasn't all that fond of the color. So a couple years later I had it repainted and have no regrets whatsoever. I had it done at a high end paint shop where they spend most of their time doing quality paint jobs for collector cars that only leave the garage to be in a car show. And yes, it was definitely pricey, higher than any of the numbers that were mentioned in above posts.

I had it repainted Lightning Green and it gave the car a completely different personality and really made it feel more like it was mine (since I wasn't the original owner). My wife was actually happy with it since she says it makes my tiny car more visible in traffic so other people won't hit me.

Only two drawbacks from having it painted: 1) The tan interior didn't really go with the new car color, so I ended up spending more to have the seats and door panels reupholstered with a bright green marine grade faux leather. 2) I had never really contemplated the carbon fiber accent pieces when the car was so dark, but once it was a bright color, those accents would really pop, so I ended up spending another chunk on those.

So my advice is that if you are going to own a car as much fun as a Roadster, go ahead and enjoy it as much as you can and don't worry about what will become of it when you're finished with it. Maybe it will change the resale value, maybe not. But specifically on the paint job, if you can find the color you want to begin with, you will be far better off, because it definitely isn't cheap to change it later.

 

[jason.tv]

Okay, I think I'm the contrary one here.

I have Founder's #19 (second owner), and (to my wife's anguish) I have not worried about keeping it original or worried about devaluing it. Mine is not meant to be a collector's piece, it's my car to enjoy and have fun with for as long as I have it (which will be until my 2020 Roadster arrives). Before I'd had it a month, I got the dash changed out to allow for a double DIN stereo, because I love music and there was no way I could read a postage stamp sized GPS display.

The paint job was four years old and a bit rough by the time I got the car in 2013. It was Signature Green, which is very dark and shows all scratches and swirl marks vividly, plus I really wasn't all that fond of the color. So a couple years later I had it repainted and have no regrets whatsoever. I had it done at a high end paint shop where they spend most of their time doing quality paint jobs for collector cars that only leave the garage to be in a car show. And yes, it was definitely pricey, higher than any of the numbers that were mentioned in above posts.

I had it repainted Lightning Green and it gave the car a completely different personality and really made it feel more like it was mine (since I wasn't the original owner). My wife was actually happy with it since she says it makes my tiny car more visible in traffic so other people won't hit me.

Only two drawbacks from having it painted: 1) The tan interior didn't really go with the new car color, so I ended up spending more to have the seats and door panels reupholstered with a bright green marine grade faux leather. 2) I had never really contemplated the carbon fiber accent pieces when the car was so dark, but once it was a bright color, those accents would really pop, so I ended up spending another chunk on those.

So my advice is that if you are going to own a car as much fun as a Roadster, go ahead and enjoy it as much as you can and don't worry about what will become of it when you're finished with it. Maybe it will change the resale value, maybe not. But specifically on the paint job, if you can find the color you want to begin with, you will be far better off, because it definitely isn't cheap to change it later.

Can we see this masterpiece of yours? lol. I have to be honest; tmc search results is the best I've seen on any website.

2008 Founders Series #19 FOR SALE [SOLD]

 

[bobinfla]

Can we see this masterpiece of yours? lol. I have to be honest; tmc search results is the best I've seen on any website.

2008 Founders Series #19 FOR SALE [SOLD]

Here are a couple pics. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find any that show the interior.

 

[jason.tv]

Here are a couple pics. I'll have to dig around and see if I can find any that show the interior.View attachment 529495 View attachment 529496

Cool ass pics, you have a baby Ninja Turtle lol; I'm in Boynton Beach; city gained a roadster.

 

[X.l.r.8]

im biased but wrap it, then unwrap it, re wrap it, unwrap it. It’s like playing dress up with a car in a manly kind of way lol.

 

[ipdamages]

I say do what makes you happy. Here's mine. I'm very happy with my choices.
2.25 conversion, interior upgrade, and repaint

 

[TOBASH]

I say do what makes you happy. Here's mine. I'm very happy with my choices.
2.25 conversion, interior upgrade, and repaint

Yeah, but now it is 8 years old and needs...... A repaint! LOL

 

[TOBASH]

Yeah, but now it is 8 years old and needs...... A repaint! LOL

X.l.r.8 gave me a thumbs down for my above post, not realizing it was tongue in cheek. LOL. ROFLMAO!!!