Questions on modifications to my 1997 Intrepid

I'm going to be driving an Intrepid (1997) soon and would like to know a few of things.

1) I want a new paint job. Maaco can do a $300-$500 dollar paint job for me if I sand down the car myself. The current colour is a dark blue I believe and I will be switching to a shiney black. Is it recommended that I sand down the car myself and then drive it to the Maaco place or should I let them sand it and paint it (albeit at a way higher price (~$2000?)

2) I'm going to be getting the windows tinted. Anyone have an idea on how much it would cost to get them tinted pretty dark (Hmm, I'm thinking 50-75 % tint).

3) I also want new rims. I'm thinking chrome or gold and I'll be paying roughly $500-$700 for these. Does anyone know a good size rim that will fit my 1997 Intrepid and will also allow me to lower the car?

4) I'd like to lower the car a bit as I don't like how high it is. Does anyone know how much it would cost to get the car lowered a bit?

I live in Canada- Toronto to be exact so I'd appreciate all cost answers to be in Canadian dollars.

------Any help/information would be greatly appreciated!
Also, if any of you happen to know a better solution to what I'm planning please tell.
Thank you!,
-Intrep

What's wrong with Midnight Blue? That's a pretty color. As far as having Maaco paint the car, the old addage will allways come true, "You get what you pay for", a cheap paint job is just exactly that, a cheap paint job.

Larger wheels and lower profile tires will make the car handle better but it will also ride very rough, you will feel every little pebble on the road, because they will also likely be heavier than the stock wheel/tire combo then that will also affect your accelleration and braking performance of the car, as your braking distance goes up and the accelleration goes down due to the added unsprung weight. Think of it like the flywheel of an engine, a heavier one makes it rev slower and it takes longer to come back down to idle whereas a lighter unit will make it rev quicker and come back to idle faster.

Also lowering the vehicle is not exactly a good thing either as that affects the total suspension travel as well as the steering and the alignment of the drivetrain, unless you like replacing halfshafts a lot I advise against that too. I have not heard of anything for Intrepids to lower the car as far as aftermarket parts to do the job right and maintain the correct geometry's involved.