One aspect of car culture that keeps everyone coming back and attracts more newbie enthusiasts every single year is the chance to witness good-looking rides at car shows and people showing off their brand new modifications. And, on the other end of the spectrum, people end up finding the burning desire and passion to mod their own cars and see how good they can make them look and perform at the same time.
However, if you’ve been in the car culture scene for any time now, you’re probably aware of the debate between vinyl wraps and getting a brand-new paint job. And, in more recent years, more and more people are siding with vinyl wraps because they are a lot cheaper than their paint job counterparts. But, are cost constraints the only thing to consider when you’re planning to mod your car and make it looks its best?
#1 Understanding The Cost Constraints
For starters, let’s get over the topic of cost constraints. There is no denying that vinyl wraps are much cheaper and more affordable, so for price alone, it would be pretty understandable why you’d opt for a car wrap over a brand-new paint job. However, affordability always comes at the cost of quality and having a purpose in mind, and you need to understand that value-added difference between the two options.
- Vinyl Wraps Offer Affordable Protection: One major function of vinyl wraps that a lot of people have glossed over is the fact that they are used to protect the factory paint job of the car. Yes, most people in the car culture community now use vinyl wraps for aesthetic purposes, but we can’t forget to acknowledge that their main purpose is to protect as opposed to looking good. And, while we have come a very long way since the first vinyl wraps, none of them still come quite as close to a high-quality paint job.
- Paint Job’s Price For Quality: In terms of quality and end-look, a brand-new paint job will always have you turning heads. However, this quality of design and aesthetic comes at a price premium, and depending on the model, can cost you upwards of $15,000. Furthermore, getting a brand-new paint job means masking over the factory paint job, so you’re also losing value in that aspect. So, unless you’ve got quite a lot of miles with this car, it’s not the smartest economic decision to get a brand-new paint job on your brand-new Porsche.
#2 How Frequent You Change Things Up
Car culture trends are constantly changing, and with that said, we also need to account for the frequency of modifications and how often you like to change things up for the car shows and meetups. By nature, it’s obvious that vinyl wraps are a lot easier to work with if you plan on changing looks quite often. However, there’s another aspect of frequency that people overlook or just sweep under the rug.
- Vinyl Wraps Are Easy To Switch Out: Yes, vinyl wraps are easy to switch out, and it’s one of the main reasons why they’ve grown in popularity over the years. In fact, vinyl wraps can be done in less than a day when working with a professional. In addition, vinyl wraps don’t weigh as much as gallons of paint, so you won’t have to worry about it affecting fuel efficiency and ruining your best time. However, we also need to note that vinyl wraps aren’t perfect by any means, and they can fade, discolor, and some lower quality ones don’t hold up as well.
- Paint Jobs Take A Lot Of Time: In contrast, paint jobs aren’t as easy to switch out because they can take quite a lot of time to finish. And, if you do speed things up, you also risk the paint-job not coming out as good and having an orange peel that can look quite bad. Another thing to look out for is the practice of not removing the previous coat when putting on the new paint job. This can weigh the car down and worsen its performance on both the track and fuel economy.
#3 Car Restoration Is A Different Story
If you’re planning to restore a car, then 99.9% of the time it’s much smarter to go with a brand-new paint job to bring back the car to its former glory. Getting a vinyl wrap for a much older car that needs some love is like putting a band-aid on a gaping wound, so you’re much better off investing the time and money to make it look good. Plus, you wouldn’t have any other reason to not give it a new paint job because it’s been out of the road for years now, so it’s all fair play. So, in this scenario, getting a brand-new paint job wins out by a landslide.
Verdict: Knowing The End-Purpose
Much like how you’d invest in high-caliber cat parts or fix a leak in the ceiling, everything is done with intention and an end-purpose in mind. So, whether you’re debating on a vinyl wrap vs. a paint job, it all boils down to knowing your purpose. Both are equally good in certain cases, so use the guide above to benchmark where you stand and find out which option gives you the most value for your investment.
