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Hi John, (TR)? When you talk about those high prices you must be talking about PPG's Delstar acylic enamel (DAR). It's an excellent paint that has been around for 30 odd years but is now way overpriced for what it is in comparison to the options currently available. At least that's my opinion. It is no longer available anywhere in my area because the local jobbers stopped carrying the mixing tints for it some years ago. If you are looking for a more cost effective acrylic enamel from PPG, look into their OMNI line, notably their MAE. It should be less than half the price for a similar color. Note, however, that red is at the high end of the cost spectrum in any paint. Here's some comparative prices for Delstar AE and OMNI MAE. These are raw paint costs and do not include the additional cost of any hardeners or reducers. The prices for the MAE seem high to me relative to what is charged locally but I haven't bought any recently enough for a good cost comparison. They should be in the ball park though, relatively speaking. With the auto refinish industry now using base/clear urethane technology for the most part, I wonder how much longer the more expensive single stage acrylic enamels like PPG's Delstar and DuPont's Centari are going to be available anywhere. I personally think they are well on their way to joining PPG's Ditzco and DuPont's Dulux alkyd enamels in the dust bin of auto paint history. Centari is still hanging on in my area but how much longer it can continue to do so remains to be seen. I doubt that the no-lead aspect has much to do with the high cost. Take a look at Duracryl acrylic lacquer. You'd have to be a real purist for originality in paint to pay those prices. I haven't checked the local paint jobbers but I would be surprised if any of 'em carried lacquer mixing tints anymore. I haven't used any lacquer since the '60s. I don't think DuPont sells their old Lucite acrylic lacquer anymore either - I don't see it on their website. Acrylic urethane (AU) in either single stage or base/clear, economy or premium lines, has been the predominant auto refinish paint technology for at least the last decade. In my judgment, an economy single stage AU (such as PPG OMNI MTK for example) provides the best value for the money for overall painting where panel color matching is not a top consideration. I bought a gallon of orange MTK 3 years ago for $50 and change. That didn't include the required hardener. I don't know what the current local price is.  Rod
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