As I posted before, my a4 was involved in an accident about a month ago. I got all the parts to repair her, and now i'm wondering about the paint. The hood, bumpers, trunk, and quarter panel that is repaired all need to be painted (new parts are white and I have a black car). After I get everything wired up, I'll be rolling around with mismatched body panels, and I'll feel like I'm driving a civic.
This car is really turning into a bastard child (facelift car, but pre-facelift trunk and bumpers), but I don't mind, as long as I can make it look nice.
I've seen cars that were spot painted, even by professional body shops, and they never looked quite right to me, so I'm thinking that it would be best to paint the whole car.

I've never painted a car before, and definitely want the car to turn out nice. I've done extensive work on surfboards and painting other things, so I imagine that I could successfully paint the car myself. My original thought was to go with a blue color, but since the car is already black, and based on my friend's advice, I should keep it that way. I don't mind the black, and my girlfriend seems to think that black is a better option. She's of the opinion that I should have the car painted (less time for me to be in the garage), but I know that getting the car painted properly would cost much more than me doing it myself.
I have friends who have had good luck with the duplicolor paint shop line of lacquers. I'd be building my own paint booth and and spraying the car myself.

Does anybody have any experience in painting a car or with the duplicolor products? How about any recommendations for a good paint shop in Connecticut where I could go and get an estimate?