You both are right in that, sand and buff is a big player, and the base/clear system is really pretty easy to use.
You can have a lot of orange peel and even a few runs, but if you take your time sanding and polishing it flat, it'll look like a million bucks when you're done. So the orange peel isn't a big deal, just a little more work. Something you can't do with a metallic color and single stage, so if you want a flat high quality paint job that's polished to perfection, it's something to consider. However, If you use the right reducer for the temperature, or even a slow reducer, it gives the clear (or single stage) more time to lay down. With practice, and the right technique and gun settings, I can lay the clear down (or single stage) to the point it doesn't need buffed other than knocking a few specs out of it.
The base in a base clear system is mixed fairly thin with most brands, usually 2:1 or 4:1 so it lays flat, and it dries fast like lacquer so you rarely ever have a chance of dirt getting in the paint, it's pretty hard to screw up the base coat. Metallics can sometimes use a little different spray technique, and some guns spray metallic better than others. But while spraying the base, it's so dull when it dries you won't even see the metallic in it until the clear goes on. Quick tip with metallic, Usually after I have 2-3 coats of color and happy with coverage, I'll back up and go over it with a light dusting to make sure the metallic is even and it also removes tiger stripes.
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