Painting dilemma (long). What would you do?

A DIY paint job that can be a 20 footer takes a couple years of perseverance and between $1,000 and $2,000 for the materials to do it right depending on the product and quality. That is before the tools of the trade you need. The alternative is not pleasant either, fifteen years ago I paid a body shop $5,000 to paint my Comet and I prepped the car. I promised myself I would never allow anyone to touch another one of my cars as I can do better body and paint in my driveway than that body shop did on my Comet. Oh it is a great color and nice 20 footer and gets a lot of compliments but I am not happy with it and will be fixing it myself when my Barracuda is finished. On the other hand, I did all my own work on my Barracuda and the indicators are good but I will know in a month or so what I have. Also, it took me four years while working full time and cost me about $2,500 in material. But win or loose I have only myself to complain about if it is not what I want.
I am a big advocate of doing it yourself but only you know your budget, expectations and time constraints. Best of luck to you whichever way you decide to go.