White is not expensive, as paint goes. Like Hodroddaddy says, reds are on the high end. That is because all of the good pigments come from third world and communist countries. I've paid over $400 a gallon for some. If you don't spend the $$$ up front, it will soon change from "gloss red" to "flat pink"!

What you need more than a "kit" is to go to an automotive paint store, and buy quality products that will work together. It's a good bet if you stick with the same manufacturer, and ask for a "tech sheet" for each product. Those will tell you about what reducers, temperatures, and drying times work best. They should be able to help with that, but if they can't, you can go to the company's web site and download the product sheets.

As far as cost, you might ask why 75 percent of shops buy quality paint? Do you really think it is because they don't want to keep most of their money? It is because they want to do a job that a customer will be happy with, or they will soon be out of business.