To pay or not to pay, that is the question

The paint is the one thing EVERYONE see's. 99% of all the work of a quality paint job is in the prep work, just about anyone can spray on paint. It has taken me 6 months and about 2K in materials to get my car ready to paint ( and I used to do it for a living ). Unless you have confidence in your abilities, My advise would be to talk to the guy at the body shop to see what you can do to help ( i.e. strip all the trim & paint) otherwise, let the pro's do it.