That's what I was thinking, too. And the cost of the repaint (if done by a reputable painter) could easily be MORE than the value of the bike. So you could be into negative numbers when you do the math. However, I do see the value of a repainted bike if the owner wants to keep it and enjoy it.

In the big picture, there aren't that many people who look at old bikes as money-makers, or who care one bit about what an alteration would do to its value. Most people like shiny, unblemished bikes better than faded, scratched, and chipped ones. That's a reality sometimes overlooked in this subforurm I think. And for the record, I don't have a problem with that. It's one reason I like this place.