What´s better, Gelcoat, paint or wrapping ?

[DSG4ME]

Hi there all,

This is a question which many of you know the answer well. As am no expert on the subject maybe you can shed a bit of light on the subject.

What is better, gelcoat, paint or vinyl wrap?

I think most people paint but I have seen a few cars that were in gelcoat, and looked pretty good.
I suppose its cheaper than paint as a good paintjob can cost quite a lot but what about maintainance ? I have also read that gelcoat applied like paint will need a tremendous amount of sanding to get it glossy. Also there is a product called Duratec that allows you to spray gelcoat and get a glossy finish without sanding and buffing.!!!
So what are the advantages or disadvantages ?

It seams that one of the latest fads is to Vinyl Wrap the car. Here, you can wrap the car without having to prepare the bodywork too much. I think one of the advantages here is the wide selecton of finishes that you could never get with paint, such as Black Chrome, Carbon fibre or skins. Can you imagine a Cobra wrapped in black Cobra snakeskin !
I suppose wrapping must cost a third of a good paint job.

So whats the best deal ?

Here is a pic of a snakeskin Mini.