Damnit... I'm going to have to get my car painted. My car was somewhat wrecked three years ago, and the rear half of the car's paint no longer matches the front. I've also bought a GS-R spoiler and am considering putting on a front lip. Anyway, the shop that has done all the performance work on my Teg recommends the local Maaco. They say there is one guy there that does a good job and that they use. Maaco wants $350 to paint the entire car the stock color, and the body shop wants $2500 to do a factory-style job painting the car.

Should I wait until after winter to paint the car, or does it not matter if I take care of it? I live in Maryland, and we will probably get like two snowfalls with saltings this year. And can Maaco possibly make my paint look worse? It looks like what a paint job would look like after seven years of hard abuse - lots of light scratches, and noticeable blemishes on the bumpers. And should I go ahead and do a 98+ front end conversion if I'm going to get the car painted and my front bumper is f*ed up and needs repair/replacement?

Thanks,
Ben