>1991 full paint job, show quality, $4500.  My van is in pretty good
>condition, so there would be minor body work.

As an ametuer who does better work than a lot of pro's, todays
prices, you don't want anything under $1000, that would get a
fair job with OK prep.  There is a lot you can do though to make
a $1000 job hold up like a $2000 job if you put some effort into
it yourself.

Tom Forhan had his '84? done recently, I think I told him he'd be
$1200 or so into it, and I believe he was, maybe a bit more with
some OK minor body work ($1500?.)  This is good average work
that would last say 5-10 years depending on how it's treated.
A step above Macco, but not great, average good ole boy body shop.

$2500 should get as nice as paint as you'd ever want on a Bus
IMHO if it needs no real metal work, anything else and you're
probably being taken, even as big as a Van is.

$3500 should buy paint as good as what VW put on there.

$4500 will still buy show paint for a Vette around me.  Should
be equal on a Van, I can't frankly imagine a $4500 job on a
Van unless it needed extensive metalwork.  Totally superfluous.
Even a metallic done perfectly if you epoxy primed the whole
van first would be under $1500 for higher end PPG materials.  $3k
is a whole pile of labor for a van that didn't have any real problems
to begin with, better damn well buy removal of all the glass, trim,
handles, numerous wet sandings, etc. etc.  Like I said I can't
really fathom anything over $2500 onto any Vanagon or baywindow
bus at this point in their values.

As point of comparison, I did a friends '69 Vette last summer
and was almost $1000 into material alone for higher end (but
not top of the line) PPG materials and consumeables.  Last
Bus I did, was more like $400 for catalyzed acryllic enamel which
I guess is low end today but still good paint.  However ANY
bodywork drastically and quickly raises these numbers.

Just my observations, a $1000 job can be a good job if you do
stuff to make it so.  Anyone looking at painting should check out
a number of excellent articles on the subject on www.type2.com
in the library.  I rec mutliple washings yourself, doing your own
cleaner with quality degreaser, pulling all the glass and handles
yourself (not much effort, worth the trouble), etc.  Oh and PPG
paint, never Dupont but that's just me YMMV.  Glasurit and others
are good as well of course, but any PPG urethane is going to
be good paint if applied correctly.  Worth asking how they intend to
paint the top BTW, seeing that they got nice scaffolding or something.
The tops are a real PITA, so people typically spray em thin, and
driprails are real nasty as well, unfortunately both are one of the
most sunbeat areas of a Van.

John
jander14@wvu.edu