Used to paint race cars . . both paint and the people you paint for have gotten out of control . . State of the Art materials run $250+ for primer/surfacer, $200 to $3500 for a gallon of Base coat and $200 to $350 for a gallon of clear coat, and you haven't bought a single sheet of sandpaper, Tape, thinner or masking plastic yet . . Add to that the fact that you'll put between 16 to 50 hours of labor on paint prep and minor bodywork (little dings and deep scratches) . . There's very few skilled painters that'll work for less than $25 an hour plus shop time or overhead . .
Add in the people who want to spend $400 on something that's the first impression of their car (Nobody can see that $15,000 engine and the $3000 transmission) and they'll always tell you, "I don't want a "Show" Paint job", right up to the time they come to get it and pay for it . . Before you went to work on his car he didn't know the difference between Red and Yellow, and after, he's a freakin' ISCA judge . . And he really gets pissed when you ask what idiot did the bodywork . . Because it was him . .
A professional paint job, using premium materials should cost somewhere between $3500 to $20,000, depending on how shiny and trick you want it . . ad in graphics, signage w/ clear over, rubbed and polished smooth, you have another $1,000-$2,000.
Or, just get it "wrapped" . . that's about $4,000 and up, again depending on who does it and how well they do it . . Extra Glossy costs more . . The average full wrap on a funny car or NASCAR Stocker runs about $8,000 on average . .
Paint is like parts . . there aren't any "Cheap" parts . . Just that some are better than others . . And, Better is almost always more expensive!