Re: Ceramic finish for my bugeye
I just had my Mustang GT ceramic coated; $1,500 (about $500 was for 'paint correction;' i.e. swirl removal; it's 2 years old). I'm very happy with it; almost wish I'd spent more to get more coats (this from a 'CeramicPro' affiliate). I went through the same 'analysis;' I finally decided that the whole ceramic 'craze'--see what I did there
--has bred a lot of cheap, do-it-yourself kits and, for what I spent on that car I could go a little further for the protection from a pro. One thing that seems consistent with all the vendors is that if you already have swirls and scratches the coating will just make them more visible. My friend, who bought my dad's T-Bird had it done too, and it was about the same price in Idaho as California, so that appears to be the going rate. He says the car's paint really pops now (black, single stage).
I also spent some for the 'official,' 'maintenance,' product and some overpriced microfiber towels, and I got a hot-air blow drier for Christmas and built a cheap, build-it-yourself foamer for my pressure washer. Now, I'm paranoid about any sort of brush or unapproved rag touching my paint (road rash--aka 'battle scars'--I can live with; and my BJ8 can verify).