Its all in what you personally like. Patina is easy, paint is not. If you enjoy the well worn look and dont want to have to worry about a scratch or ding when you actually use the truck .....then patina is great. If you enjoy waxing and shining up you pride and joy for carshows and are super careful to not let anything brush against it or nick it and then have this eye drawing “blemish” on your shiney ride...then paint it and take care of it. I personally dont drive my truck in anything but dry weather and it stays in my garage so i dont worry about salt or moisture. I do regularly use the front fender as a workbench and i do drive the truck A LOT (5,000mi this year already). The patina works well for me and i really enjoy the way the truck looks and the history it shows. Its kinda like people with tattoos or scars. Its a piece of your past or your life story that people see on the SURFACE. I dont plan to sell mine and im only 36yrs old but mabey when im 50 i might say hey i think i wanna make this thing perfect and shiney again. One thing is for sure.... you can never go back to original real life long patina after paint. Here my current driver status truck.
