I just bought a 93 red hatch for a project... and it needs work. My first step is to get the car repainted and have the dent taken out and rust removed. I'm torn between painting the car milano red (since its already red) or championship white (my favorite color). I'm not going to do it myself so I'm trying to find the best way to get the car to get a quality job for $2500 or less... by the way, anyone know of a reputable shop in the nj area from philly to nyc?

Questions...
1. Should I strip the car down and then bring it to the shop? By this I mean everything interior and exterior, and have it towed...
2. Is there a minimum number of coats I should require for the job?
3. Should I prep the car (sand it down, do anything to the paint/rust) before I bring it to them (I remem someone said the factory paint is a good primer, but if I go white, I dont' want red showing underneath)
4. Anything else I'm missing?

 

drive the car there and strip it there, unless you have the extra money to tow. dont do any prep work yourself if you dont know what you are doing, just leave it up to them. tell the body shop exactly what you want (eg. what color underprimer, clearcoats etc.). good luck, and you can get a hell of a good paint job for 2500.