Kirk

To be quite honest, I do use the $300-$400 guns at work. But for most of my modeling I use the same gun that you bought at Lowe's. They will spray auto paint just fine. The only time that you really need protective clothing is when you are spraying a large volume of paint in an enclosed environment (such as cars in a spray booth). As far as the fumes go, you are right, I would recommend using a respirator with the solvent based finishes. Actually, I would recommend a respirator for any paint that is atomized through a spray gun.

I agree with you on price, latex is a lot less expensive. The clean-up is a lot easier too. I just prefer the automotive type of finishes as they are more durable, fuel proof, etc.