Repaint + Clear Bra Vs. Repaint Only Vs. Mediocre Current Paint

[white98ls]

As a follow-up to this thread (https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...l-way-fix.html), long story short, a shop spilled brake fluid on my Lotus Elise's clear bra and when removing the bra, paint started peeling off. It likely was repainted at some point and clear bra reapplied too soon after.

The shop has offered to pay to get that area (not the whole front end) repainted and replace that portion of clear bra once the paint is cured (bra is separated into a few pieces as-is) using a shop that I've verified does quality work. This will get it back to the way it was, but if I have to replace any clear bra later (it's in okay shape, not great but not terrible), the paint underneath might peel again.

For an additional $1,850-$2,000, I can have them sand down and respray the entire front end, blending into the doors, and have a new clear bra applied (up the first few inches of the hood). This would get rid of a few rock chips I have, and refresh the clear bra with a newer one that's hopefully a better-applied (there are some gaps in the current one, and it's a little dulled).

As a middle option, for $1,000 I can have the above done but no clear bra. Part of me thinks I'm stupid to turn down a clear bra for ~$900. On the other hand, despite my best efforts I've only managed to drive the car 2k miles in the first year of ownership, and this will likely be cut in half now that I have a 4-month-old kid (can't even drive it to work because I'll be doing daycare transport). When I drive it, I don't hang out behind big trucks on the interstate, so maybe it's worth saving money and having a cleaner-looking front end, which is what it's all about, right?

I know there's no right answer, just looking for insights/opinions. The rest of the car is in I'd say 8.5 or 9/10 condition. Some paint swirls I'd like to get rid of (gotta find the time), but in nice shape with no notable blemishes. I don't intend for it to be a show car at all, but want to keep it looking decently nice.

[vobro]

If I was dead set on keeping the Lotus I'd probably go for the full repaint and PPF but that's the car guy in me.

[white98ls]

If I was dead set on keeping the Lotus I'd probably go for the full repaint and PPF but that's the car guy in me.

That's the tough part... I could see keeping this car 1 year or 10+ years, I'm not sure. I have my sights set on someday upgrading to something like an F430, but the thing is such a blast and an order of magnitude cheaper to own, so I may never make that jump. Additionally, life is always changing and with a 4-month-old baby now, who knows what the future will bring. I'll always be a big-time car nut, but if I only end up having time to drive it 500 miles/yr then I might want to let it go and feel dumb for spending that extra $2k.

Also, if I do end up driving it 500-1k miles/yr, that clear bra isn't going to get much work vs. a daily driver that's used 10-20x as much.

[57Rambler]

With the limited amount of driving it sees, I'd go for the $1000 middle option.

[white98ls]

Decided to pony up for the clear bra and repaint. It's very low and fiberglass, so I might regret not getting any protection on it. These cars came with the factory option of a clear bra way back in 2005 so it's something I should probably have. Thanks all for your perspectives.