Best source for auto paint?

[Jaepheth]

So I've been driving around with my unpainted hood for awhile (2+years) and it seems it may be starting to wear thin and rust. So in a weekend or two I'm gonna sand it down, re-prime, and hopefully paint and clear coat it.

What's the best (cheapest) place to buy auto paint, and what should I look for?
I suppose my best option would be an aerosol can; though I could get an hvlp gun for my compressor if need be.

 

[Jimzz]

You want matching or just close? Advance auto has paint in the store ready to be sprayed. They are not OE match but have the basic colors.

 

[Jaepheth]

Close enough is fine.

There's no advance auto near me. Would Autozone or Oreilly's have it?

What do I need to look for? What's the difference between acrylic, enamel, base coat, and lacquer?

 

[JulesMaximus]

I bought a some automotive paint in a rattle can online a few months ago to paint my door mirrors and clear coat. Came out fantastic but doing a complete hood might be a bit more challenging. I'm going to respray my trunk lid spoiler because it is pretty faded and it doesn't look good at all. I'll remove it from the car first though and prep it thoroughly.

Materials cost me about $45-50 including the clear coat and primer.

 

[Black2na]

Enamel will be more then fine. Buy a cheap spray gun and enamel in your paint color and O'Reilly looks like to have what you need

 

[phucheneh]

If you want decent paint in a rattle can, AFAIK you have to get it online. Though I have seen 'refillable' rattle cans that you can load your own paint into...but at that point, you might as well grab a cheap paint gun, since you have a compressor.

Make sure you do a good job sanding and primer. If there's rust, there's bare metal, so you need to sand all of that oxidation off and then apply some etching primer in a timely manner.

edit: I would second enamel. It's cheap and a lot less toxic than modern paints. It just oxidizes quickly (keep it waxed).