Quick Answer
A Maaco paint job typically runs $500 to $800 for the entry level single stage package, $900 to $1,500 for the mid tier urethane package, and $1,600 to $3,000 or more for the premium basecoat plus clearcoat package. The advertised base price only covers spraying the paint. Surface prep (sanding old clearcoat, fixing dents, masking trim) is billed separately and is what pushes most real invoices well above the headline number.
For a typical 10 year old daily driver with sun faded clear and a few door dings, expect a real out the door price between $1,200 and $2,200.
The three Maaco service tiers
Maaco operates a tiered menu. The tier sets the chemistry of the paint, the number of coats, and the warranty length.
Tier 1: Basic / Cosmetic ($500 to $800)
- Single stage acrylic enamel. The color and the gloss are the same coat. No separate clearcoat.
- 1 year limited warranty.
- Best for: older work trucks, flip cars headed for sale, project cars where I plan to repaint again later.
- Tradeoff: gloss fades and chalks faster than a two stage finish. Will not match modern factory metallic colors.
Tier 2: Preferred / Mid ($900 to $1,500)
- Upgraded single stage acrylic urethane. Better UV resistance and chemical resistance than the basic tier.
- 3 year limited warranty.
- Best for: daily commuters, family sedans, work vans that need a presentable finish.
- Tradeoff: still single stage, so chip repair shows more than on a clearcoat finish.
Tier 3: Premium / Diamond ($1,600 to $3,000 plus)
- Two stage basecoat plus polyurethane clearcoat. This is the same paint architecture as the factory finish.
- 4 to 5 year warranty depending on location.
- Best for: cherished daily drivers, late model trucks and SUVs, anything where I want metallic or pearl flake to read correctly.
- Tradeoff: still a production line paint job, not a show car respray. Door jambs, engine bay, and trunk are usually not included unless I pay extra.
The hidden variable: prep work
The base price covers spray time. It does not cover any of the labor required to make the existing body straight enough to take paint. A typical estimate adds these line items:
- Sanding old failing clearcoat: $150 to $400. New paint over peeling clear will lift and bubble within months. Sanding back to a stable base is non negotiable.
- Dent and ding repair: $50 to $200 per dent depending on size and location.
- Rust spot treatment: $75 to $250 per spot. Surface rust gets sanded and primed. Through rust gets cut out and patched, which can run far higher.
- Trim removal and masking: $100 to $400. Removing door handles, mirrors, badges, and lights gives a cleaner finish than masking around them.
- Color sand and buff: $200 to $500 on the premium tier for the show finish look.
- Engine bay or door jamb paint: $200 to $600 if I want a true full respray look.
How to keep the bill close to the advertised price
The fastest way to compress the invoice is to do the prep work myself. Shops bill prep at the body rate (typically $60 to $90 per hour), and most of it is patient hand work that any car owner can do over a weekend.
- Remove badges, emblems, and side mirrors before drop off.
- Pull door handles and antenna mast if they unbolt easily.
- Wet sand failing clearcoat with 400 then 600 grit to provide a clean base.
- Fix small dings with paintless dent repair (PDR) at an independent technician before going to Maaco.
- Decide in advance whether jambs and engine bay are in scope and put it in writing.
What Maaco will not do
- Cut and weld new sheet metal. Heavy rust repair needs a body shop, not a production paint shop.
- Match a custom color exactly without a sample. Bring a fuel door or a small painted panel for spectrophotometer matching.
- Disassemble interior trim. Door cards, seats, and dash come out at a custom shop, not a production line.
- Guarantee a show car finish on the basic and mid tiers. Those tiers are designed to look better than 10 feet away, not perfect under a spotlight.
How Maaco compares to a custom body shop
A custom body shop respray on the same 10 year old daily driver typically runs $4,000 to $8,000 for a quality two stage finish with full disassembly and color sanding. The custom shop will fix every defect, paint every jamb, and color sand and buff every panel. Maaco trades that level of finish for a 5 to 10 day turnaround and a price that is usually 30 to 50 percent of the custom alternative.
For a 20 year old daily driver with a market value of $5,000, the Maaco mid or premium tier is usually the smart math. For a collector car or a vehicle worth more than $20,000, the custom shop is the better long term investment.
The takeaway
Plan on $1,200 to $2,200 out the door for a typical Maaco respray on a 10 year old daily driver, with the bulk of the variation driven by prep work rather than paint chemistry. Pick the tier based on how long I plan to keep the vehicle: basic for a flip, mid for a daily, premium for a vehicle I want to keep five plus years. Do my own emblem removal and badge masking to keep the labor line short, and put every prep item on the written estimate before approving the job.
