Pros of paint protection film: preserves original oem paint with a physical 4-8 mil barrier. UV protection as well as from rocks, dings and chips. High gloss, high clarity (unless you get matte ppf of course). Most top brands last over 10 years. Can be done in portions so you don't have to pay for the entire car
Cons: expensive, risk of trapping particles under a clear barrier, risk of pulling compromised (non-oem) paint upon removal. If only partial ppf (ie just the front) then rest of the car will need to be detailed often accordingly to match. If wrapped partially, you'll notice dust and dirty will tend to collect on the exposed edges/seams. A full wrap will do the same, but the installer should be able to hide the edges from view
I hope that answered some of your questions. As for cost in the long run, I've pulled off ppf from 15+ yr old cars that had it from the dealer leaving near-mint paint underneath (before reapplying new ppf
). If you do nothing to your paint after 15 years you'll need a respray which, on top of however much a quality respray might be, will impact your resale value for the worse. Ceramic coatings are great too, but you'll be reapplying that every 2 years or so, while also negating the option of ppf or wrap as adhesive films won't stick to ceramic coatings.