I agree with the OP, while I do like to keep it clean, I don't obsessively wax it. I still do park away from others because door dings piss me off, just because the lack of respect that other people don't have for property that isn't theirs. But on road trips I don't tape up the front end, she's covered in chips, the front bumper has almost zero paint on the underside from being lowered. And if the paint starts to fade (red) or the clear wants to oxidize I probably wont care too much. So long as she's mechanically sound and the body is relatively straight that's all I want!
Edit: oh and I like to beat on her from time to time like she was designed
