I could SERIOUSLY use some help

Hey! Thank you for taking the time to read my post!
I hate to be sexist/stereotypical, BUT I'm a teenage girl.. therefore I know very little about cars. However, I do own a car. It's kind of piece of junk Honda Civic, but it gets me around and I LOVE IT.
On to the part where I need some info. I want to paint it. It's kind of a bland grey/blue color right now, and I'd like to have it painted Kelly Green. It doesn't have to look PERFECT or anything, but I would like it to look halfway decent. One person has told me that I'm looking at A LOT of money because of the atypical color? So I was wondering if someone could tell me what a typical paint job might cost (so I don't get ripped off). Maybe someone in Florida who's gotten a paint job recently could recommend someone? I'd really appreicate it! Also, I'm kind of creative/artistic and I'd like to paint the door handles and that black plastic strip along the bottom, myself. So I was hoping that someone would know what kind of paint to use for that...
Again, thank you for your time. Have a great day!

paint job prices can vary wildly depending on the quality of paint and labor.
if you are just looking for a cheap job that will last a year or two, MAACO usually has a spring special $250 for a minimal prep. close door job.
for a decent paint job i would say you are looking at $750 maybe more.
i would reccomend shopping around and getting as many free estimates as you can. go with a brother or father or boyfriend (or some male) as some painters (like mechanics) will try and take advantage of you and over-charge because you are a girl and don't know much about paint/cars. i know, this sucks, but it is a fact of life that you will just have to deal with. with a guy there it is less likely that the painter will try and pull some BS.
as for the plastic trim pieces.....krylon makes a line of spray paints called "fusion" that are specifically designed to bond to plastics and won't flake off. you can get it at most hardware stores.

paint job prices can vary wildly depending on the quality of paint and labor.
if you are just looking for a cheap job that will last a year or two, MAACO usually has a spring special $250 for a minimal prep. close door job.
for a decent paint job i would say you are looking at $750 maybe more.
i would reccomend shopping around and getting as many free estimates as you can. go with a brother or father or boyfriend (or some male) as some painters (like mechanics) will try and take advantage of you and over-charge because you are a girl and don't know much about paint/cars. i know, this sucks, but it is a fact of life that you will just have to deal with. with a guy there it is less likely that the painter will try and pull some BS.
as for the plastic trim pieces.....krylon makes a line of spray paints called "fusion" that are specifically designed to bond to plastics and won't flake off. you can get it at most hardware stores.


You. Are. My. Hero.
Thanks alot for the info! I defintely plan on shopping around, but I hadn't planned on having anyone tag along. Good suggestion. $750 is a lot more than I planned on spending - at least now I have an idea. As for the plastic paint - I was hoping it woudln't have to be spray paint, but maybe that's the only way to go. Thank you SO much for all the help!

i think ur gunna look at alot more than 750 to be honest.. the need to sand the car, maybe prime, wet sand, tape, and paint the car.. with 45 bucks an hour in most places a paint job is gunna cost u.. if i were u id go around to a technical college or high school auto collision program and ask them if they could do ur car.. i know we do that up here and some people get there car fixed and painted for super cheap(like $300).. good luck with finding some place :)

i think ur gunna look at alot more than 750 to be honest.. the need to sand the car, maybe prime, wet sand, tape, and paint the car.. with 45 bucks an hour in most places a paint job is gunna cost u.. if i were u id go around to a technical college or high school auto collision program and ask them if they could do ur car.. i know we do that up here and some people get there car fixed and painted for super cheap(like $300).. good luck with finding some place :)

$300 sounds a lot better than 750. I guess it's probably all about the quality of the job, eh? We actually have a brand new technical college in town, BUT they're already helping me fix up my DeLorean (senior project). So, I'd hate to ask too much of them. Good suggestion though. You folks have been mighty helpful, and I thank you kindly. Have a great day!

ok, if u get a job done at a shop it will mosy likely be more than $750... if you get a local yokle whos done some painting in the past and give him the materials, ive known people to charge $500 to do it in their back yard.. and MOST of the time it comes out ok. as for the trim pieces SEM makes a paint specifcally for plastic trim... and you spray it the same way to spray the rest of the car. good luck finding any shop to touch your car for less than a grand. any more questions ill be more than happy to answer. i just graduated a auto refinishing couse so im not just saying shit ive heard from other people.

good luck finding any shop to touch your car for less than a grand.
agreed, I don't think my shop has ever done a job for under $1,500 unless it was for family or a good friend.

i would budget for AT LEAST $2k just because then you have some room for error....

ya the most expensive part of the whole thing is proper prep work... you could have the best sprayer in the world do your base and clear and it will still look like ass if the car hasnt been properly preped.

i was looking at getting my GSR painted EM1 blue, and doing the prep myself, but of the 3 painters in town that i talked to....none of them would let me do the prep.......i thought i'd save some money, but i guess not!!

i was looking at getting my GSR painted EM1 blue, and doing the prep myself, but of the 3 painters in town that i talked to....none of them would let me do the prep.......i thought i'd save some money, but i guess not!!
yeah, they can't guarantee shit that way, and most shops won't do any work unless they can guarantee it. If you did a crappy prep job, and I painted your car and it turned out like poop cause of your prep job and you went around telling people who painted your car it would reflect bad upon me even though it was your fault it turned out bad.

That's what I'd say. 2k for a decent job. It depends on what you call decent too though. If you plan on keeping it for a long time or not will also have a factor. 2 years isn't a long time if you actually like what you drive. It's the old saying my brother used to say, "Buy nice, or buy twice".