Minor body flaws

Looks like body shop work to me. It would make the car the car better to sell and get a higher price as this tends to make the vehicle look uncared for.

 

What shape is the rest of the car in. If it is in primo shape and you are going to be marketing and selling it as super clean then yes, I'd fix the scratches. Otherwise I'd just leave it especially if you are selling privately to another New Yorker as the bumper will just get scratched up again.

 

You consider those minor bloody flaws?

That's like saying Rosanne Bar had minor body flaws compared to Claudia Schiffer.

I'd say it depends on the condition of the rest of the car and your estimated value overall. A good cleaning is known to increase resale value as will a quick paint detail but if the car is not worth much then the extra cost of cleaning may not pencil out. If the rest of the body looks good then I would get the rear end fixed. A good dose of rubbing compound with a buffer should take out 80% of those blemishes.

 

True but i don't think it hurts to try to fix it yourself first as those look like scratches in the clearcoat. If the scratches do not catch your fingernail all you need is a drill and an inexpensive 3M scratch removal kit and some 2000 grit 3m automotive wetORdry sandpaper, soak the sandpaper in water for 15 minutes than lightly smooth out the clearcoat, yours look like horizontal scratches so I think you make vertical movement of the sandpaper. Don't be scared of using sandpaper as it is 2000 grit its not very rough you could probably exfoliate your skin afterwards. Attach pad 1 to drill and apply 3M rubbing compound, press pad to car lightly before turning drill on, rub one out, attach pad 2 to drill and apply 3M scratch remover (aka polish), press pad to car lightly before turning drill on, rub another one out.

Scratches deeper than the clearcoat (that catch your fingernail) require a touch up pen, you can get it from the dealership or Duplicolor sells Toyota Black (I think the same pen handles color code 202 & 204).
Since the bumper is probably the worst spot on your car, do that first, so if it doesn't turn out right you can still take it to a body shop for professional work, but if you are patient and the results are to your liking, than go around and tackle any other clearcoat scratches around your car, if the sample 3M rubbing compound and scratch remover isn't enough you can buy large bottles of those w/o having to buy another scratch removal kit. When all the scratches are done spot wax the areas you repaired, then wax the entire car.

Turtlewax has a new Black Box kit designed specifically for black cars, its readily available but its a liquid and paste waxes are always better, synthetic wax lasts twice as long as carnauba wax. So I normally wouldn't recommend the kit but it includes spray detailer which you can quickly use before someone comes to look at your car which is convenient as it takes me 90 minutes to properly wax a prius, but the spray detailer can make the car look good in 10 minutes. Like I said the black box kit is designed for black cars, so unlike every other wax I've ever used it won't leave white residue in all the nooks and crannies and the results are great.

My friend lives in Chicago, that's exactly why he swears by the Jeep Wrangler, small wheelbase is easy to park and maneuver, high seating gives great visibility, and cheap steel bumper loops can easily be replaced with basic tools as needed.

The problem with black cars is they are the best looking cars on the road when they are in perfect shape and very clean, 1% of the time, the other 99% of the time they look like crap, one of my two prius is black and I had a black avalon so I am speaking from personal experience.