What should I look for in a paint shop?

[volleyballmaster]

My dad's got an old minivan, still runs well, but it's got some rust spots forming in places. It needs to get re-sealed this summer, or the rust is going to start eating through the sheet metal, and at that point the thing's done for.

Since it's old, I'd prefer to take it to an inexpensive place to get the rust spots dealt with, but my family has had a bad history with Maaco, so I'll be damned if I'm going to go there again. So how should I go about finding a paint shop that doesn't cost a fortune, but does work that'll last more than a year?

[Anabelle]

Call around, get prices. When you find a price you like, ask to see their work.

[Tampaboy19N]

Cheap paint jobs are a crap shoot. Quality repainting runs $2500 and up. No real way around it unless you do a lot of prep yourself. You might want to look into some of the technical schools in your area that teach body/paint. You might be able to get the van in as a class project. Upside is that you usually only have to pay for supplies and the instructor supervises. Downside is it can take 2-3 months for them to complete the work.