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Basic body prep is fixing small dents with bondo, dings in the paint with body putty, and sanding.
It also means removing as much trim as is practical.
Actually it is good that the previous owner didnt take care of the paint. This means that a lot of the old wax is gone.
If I were prepping it I would use 320 grit wet dry sandpaper and go over the whole car, removing oxidation to the point the surface is even and smooth. You dont have to remove the entire coat of paint. The idea is to get it smooth. All you really want is paint that is still bonding to the sheetmetal as a good base for painting.
Then if you want to put a little more effort go to 400 grit sandpaper, but I doubt it is necessary. I bet you could do all this on a weekend. Say around 10 hours depending on how many dents you have to fill with bondo, or paint chips you fill with body putty.
As a general rule, and I am particular about prepping for painting. (After all I am spending $200 on paint and if I screw it up I get to spend $200 again)I may spend 17 hours prep, masking, removal of trim, etc. Then spend as little as 1 1/2 hours actually painting. So I think you can see that the prep is the labor intensive part.
PS. I really like to use catalyzed acrylic enamel over the urethanes. It is cheaper and has the same if not better lifespan of the urethanes. Both are excellent to use though and both take the same amount of time to shoot. Hheh both are very hazardous to breath the fumes during painting. It is like getting a lung full of superglue. So, external airsupply for breathing is really a good idea.
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