Are side moldings recommended?

I`ve been in the market for an Evo or STI, but I noticed that neither comes with side moldings. I also noticed that a lot of other cars have no side moldings. In the good ole days, we had aluminum framed rubber moldings rivited to our Monte Carlo SS. Now, the moldings are much smaller and sleaker, but still appear as effective.

Just wondering if DCers would recommend some kind of adhesive side moldings, or would risk the door dingers out there. Luckily, the Evo and STI`s cheaper siblings have factory installed moldings, so finding some shouldn`t be a problem.

No way! Water, dirt, and salt (if you live in an area where they use road salt) will sit behind the moulding. It seems the first place to rust on cars is behind the moulding.

I guess thank goodness for paintless dent repair.

PDR is the way to go. I had some hail damage to my truck and when it was all said and done, you couldn`t tell it had ever been touched. I was really surprised it worked so well.