Quality paint, not cheap paints. Nobody wants cheap paints.
Depending on the prep work, amount that you want to do and the quality 1000 to 10K isn't out of line.
you can buy any kind of paint you want, but if you have sratches and dents, fix them your self, and save a LOT of money, then, if you want pro paint, go paint it. you are going to save more money thatn you spend on your paint job, if you do all the prep your self. I have heard up to 250 for a dent to get pounded out.
Quality paint is nice.. but you also need quality labor. There are 'painters' who can make a Mona Lisa out of spray cans and others who can take the best paint in the world and turn it into junk. That said..lets ignore the cost of body work and fancy detail work like striping or extra colors since you did not mention that... A decent and good paint job should be at least three coats of color and two coats of clear.. each rubbed out before the next and dried hard before taking them outside. With those basics it should cost you between $800 to $1000 depending upon where you are (the cost of living factors in a lot and the same paint job in San Francisco or New York will cost you more then somewhere in the middle of Kansas) .
