I had my IS-F ceramic coated.
None of my other cars were/are ceramic coated.
My IS-F didn't look any "better" than my other cars.
All it really saved me was not having to do a polish once per year.
As long as I'm still able to polish once per year and quick detail spray as needed, the cost/results of ceramic just isn't worth it to me.
Yeah, ceramic coating seems to be just a 'really good wax' in terms of it's performance. Still susceptible to contaminants, swirls, etc. For my cars that are exposed to the elements I do a polish usually 2-3 times a year, and that tends to keep them looking really good and well protected all the time. If I notice contaminants I'll run it with a claybar, if there's swirls or something I'll correct it with a little compound...but usually keeping it polished and waxed, and just generally being careful with the paint, minimizes the necessary effort.
Course, when I get a car (new to me), I'll spend like 2 days on a full correction procedure....once it's done, if you maintain it, you won't have to do it again.
Typical car I can polish from start to finish in about 45 minutes...Doing it twice a year that's less than 2 hours of my time. Plus, it a good opportunity to really go over the car and touch up any chips, or anything else like that.