Advice or input on compressors

[REDROCKER652002]

I have been following the beginner paint thread and it got me thinking. I have an old Craftsman compressor that was my grandfathers. Every time I put an extension cord on it, the breaker pops in the unit or at the panel. Last time is shut off and started smoking, so I think it is about done. LOL. It is a very old machine and I am going to get something a bit more modern. I use it mostly to fill up tires and little stuff, but with my son's 69 in the mix now, I would like to start learning how to paint and run some impact tools with it. I would like it to be portable or movable, I don't have a lot of room in the garage right now. But that is not set in stone, as I will be putting up a small shop and storage shed in the backyard to move all my crap out of the garage. Budget is always an issue, so I cannot go drop big money on a pro style machine.

So, what I am looking for is input from the group on if a 30 gallon compressor like the ones at Lowes or Home Depot will run tools and a paint gun to do body parts one at a time? Or am i looking at getting one of the 60 gallon units to do what I need it to do?

Any input would be awesome, as I am priming my wife to make this purchase in the next few months.

thanks. RR