I'm having mine pinstripped today and I can tell you first hand...It's the only way to go! If you put on anything other..It will Peel! and lift..Besides, you are probably going to polish your new car from time to time...The polish will hang around the vinyl and accumulate. Go for the painted version and look for a reputable pinstripper..Good luck and keep us informed no matter which way you decide to go..Joe
As an old body shop guy I can see all sides. Here's what I think...
Tape is OK and if you play around with it you can do some slightly tricky things. Like on the ends use more of the small line and do a crossover loop and back to point. Also if you want to play around with different colors or sizes you can peel it off and go with something you like better. It really will last pretty darn well and most waxes today won't be too tough to get off the edges.
Important to note though: The longer you leave the tape stripe on the more the adhesive eats into your paint job. I've seen a lot of people try to take off old pin stripe and then have a dull line in the paint where it was. This can be a little bit of a job to buff back up.
On the other hand painted is better. That's why it costs more. It will look better close up... you can get way more tricky with it... and done correctly it'll last for a long time. Just keep it waxed like you would any good paint job and don't do a lot of polishing over it,
ESPECIALLY a buffer wheel... it can burn it right off!
If money is no object paint is probably the way to go.
If you just want an easy way to add some flair or you're not positive if you even like stripe or what color would be best... tape it.
Gentalmen choose your weapon... LoL!:beerchug: