Interesting question.

I supect the answer lies in how much care / skill is used in cleaning the 'shiny' car.

Though you would really have to be quite reckless to cause more damage than years of accumulated salt, sap and bird sh!t.

 

Gad I would think the dirty car would have less swirls in it but the prep would be a lot harder come sale time.

Me, personally I hate dirty cars and spend weekends, evenings spare time valeting my car and a few other people's cars beside.

Last yr I valeted approximately 15 - 17 cars that weren't mine.

As some of you know I would love to start a business dong this and give up the day job.

The past has seen me valet everything from a 10 yr old French 306 to an NSX with a few S's, an M5, a 328 Convertible, a Rav4, a Morgan, a XJS V12 along the way - and I have loved every single one of them

The hardest has to be BMW a 328 (orient blue - bit like RNBP) and the M5 (carbon black)

BMW paint is pretty hard.

The best reaction from the owner has to be the girl that owned the 306. she jumped up and down at the sight of her new car!

The most enjoyable would have to be the ....
(actually that is quite a difficult one)

I think there are three and in no particular order

A 2004 NSX (need I say more)
A Black Honda Civic new shape
and lastly the XJS (owned by a very close friend and his passion for Jags is contagious)

 

When I got my S2000 I washed it weekly. It was in pefect condition and looked great.

This after spending the previous 2 years taking the piss out of my neighbour who used to reverse his Elise out of the garage every weekend, wash it, then put it back in the garage until the next wash!

I have now washd my S2000 twice in the last 6 months. Last time I did it, I thought it looked better dirty. The stone chips and dings just stand out when it is shiny.

I'll still do the annual wash, clay and wax once the weather gets better though.

 

I hate washing and cleaning cars but when I start I have to make a proper job of it.

I spent 4 hours yesterday cleaning the beater! Great thing about having the beater is that I can practice using the different polishes - latest being the 3M line up. 4 hours later, I felt crap, fingers numb from the cold and lost all sensation in my feet!

Anyhow, fast forward to today. Lots of admiring glances in the car park from co-workers which followed with a swarm of emails asking who washed my car.

 

I like the thought of the two cars from new, one washed and one waxed but never washed... interesting.

I DO wash my S2000 because I know leaving bird crap/road salt/mud etc on it will do more damage than good, but I don't think I could ever do one of these full preparations; I think that's more of an indicator of my own lack of patience.

Second cars/cherished collectables (as mentioned earlier in this thread) OBVIOUSLY would get completely different treatment. But daily drivers - even when it's a car that deserves to look clean and shiny, like mine, because a BB GT that is clean and wearing its HT attracts a LOT of stares - just don't merit that for me. It's interesting to see people's attitudes to this though!

Robs silver s2K - you're not far from Brizzle, fancy coming up and doing my S2000 for me?!

 

Every weekend for me

Although I only spend 1hr max on it. Rinse & wash, dry, and quick detail over and the shine is back. Then once a month top up wax.

 

I like this question!

It would depend IMO on where the cars were stored. If the unwashed car was under trees then you are looking at a nightmare. The 'ol Toyota special shed wasn't washed from 1990-2000 and tree sap had evolved into species and almost walked off the car. On the flipside to that lots of washing can lead to lots of swirls and paint damage if the wrong products are used.

I have a slightly different point to make though.

2 cars one washed each week the other not. 2 years time you come to sell. I am betting 100% that the unwashed car could be restored in one expensive day and look better than the cleaned and polished car. Not only that but take 104 weekends and out of those take 3 hrs. 312hrs over two years (give or take) and paying free time rate to myself at

 

Parking in a garage seems to reduce the frequency of cleaning. When I first got the car / was attending meets, it was cleaned every couple of weeks. Now, it gets polished once every 12 - 18 months & washed approx. every 6 weeks.