smariner

I'm in the market for a ES350. I found a private party selling one for a good price, but I really don't like the color (purplish).
My question -- is it possible to get the car re-painted with Silver/Black/Gray? If yes, what would be the range of price that Im looking at. Will this affect the resale value of the car?

jkayca

It's usually a bad idea to repaint a car a totally different colour. If you're going to do it go black. A good paint job is going to run you at least $2k. I don't know how much of a deal you are getting but I'm betting it isn't worth it. And yes it can affect the resale value of the car. The factory usually does a much better job at painting then any body shop.

Also you may void the paint/corrosion warranty.

jagtoes

A repaint color change is very expensive. In order to do this correctly and to not loose value of the car you need to remove all of the non color related parts (door handles , side mirrors , trunk liner , hood liner , door panels , door trim , etc.). I would think that the cost for this would be somewhere between $7-10K. I would think it would be easier to look for a car with an acceptable color. If you find someone who would do the job for $2K just make sure they use a FINE brush.

sirCharles

Totally agree, this would be costly mistake so soon in life of the car.

Certainly more than 2k for a Lexus job.

MD350

I agree with the above.

Cost to paint
Loss in value

Go find one in the color you like.

NGG

What he said.+++. You are asking for trouble.

VegasIS300

iTrader: (1)

Wouldn't it be easier to just find the color you like? There's tons of ES350s out there!

Macklin

Purplish? Has to be Moon Shell Mica. Have you seen it in the sun? It actually takes on a pinkish hue.

Yes it will hurt resale! Unless you spend a fortune to have it done right.

Run away! Run very fast away from this deal!

smariner

Yes, it is the moon shell mica
Just curious -- what do you guys think about this color?

NGG

It is not what we think...it is what YOU think...you have to live with it and also consider future resale issues. If you like it ...buy it. If not...look elsewhere. Good luck.

Macklin

You obviously didn't read between the lines of my previous post!

I put a deposit on a 350 when I first saw some serious pics of them. HAD to have one. I picked the MSM color from the catalogue because it looked so original. Mine was actually the first to show up at my dealership. It looked absolutely incredible under the fluorescent lights of the showroom. THEN they drove it outside. I did take it for a test ride. It was then I notice the purple to pink transition. After the test ride, I sat there looking at it for about...500 heart beats before deciding to move my deposit to another car. A smokey granite beauty that arrived two weeks later. Turned out for the better because I sold my 300 during that time.

Exactly how GOOD is this deal?

smariner

Thanks for all your comments. Repainting the car doesn't seem to be worth it, and we are leaning towards passing on this car/color.

2007 Lexus ES350 with 10K miles, rear-view camera, power rear shade, navigation, parking sensors, etc, etc (single-owner; excellent condition; service records from local dealer) -- for little less than $27K. At this price, I would have bought it if it were in any other color

Absolutely! But, I was wondering why Lexus came up with this color (I believe even the 2009 model comes in this color). A few of our friends considered this car as well, and ended up not buying because of the color. Even women in our friends-circle didn't like the color for a car.

Macklin

Wow! That is a good deal. But its a buyers market right now...on just about everything...

codex57

Yeah, it's a buyer's market. Plus, that car may have the tranny or other probs that plagued early ES's. May explain the low price.

But I'm a guy. I couldn't live with driving a pink car. Purple might be ok if it were deep purple, but it's definitely a light pinkish purple. I've seen it in light and dark and it always looks funky to me, except once it looked silver. My wife doesn't even like the color. I suppose if you're a Mary Kay salesperson, it might be ok.

kboyj

You are looking at a $10k plus pearl paint job to do it right. So basically the good value is not going to be good for long. Others might quote you about 2 grand or 5 grand but the fact of the matter is you get what you pay for. For a Near factory paint job done right you are looking into the double k digits my friend. Maybe you should look for the color you want unless you want to throw $80 grand on it as a project car. Good Luck! ;-)