Exactly. No one seems to use lacquer unless that's what they have on hand and they're painting things like furniture or a wagon for your kids. Sounds like it's not so great for cars anymore, at least as far as durability goes.
I'll admit now that there is a deal for a project car that I thought might be good for me but it was painted in lacquer in the guy's garage. After thinking it over and taking all the things said here into consideration, I think I'm going to pass on it for now. I was real excited about it at first, but then the more I thought about it, the more the drawbacks began to present themselves as real problems. You know how that goes - you see something and immediately think of the potential but then reality sets in.
There's also the fact of it being far away so I can't look at it up close. Plus, the cost and difficulty of transporting a disassembled car that's on a dolly might outweigh getting a car that's already painted no matter what kind of product was used.
I think if it were done with modern techniques I'd be more apt to pursue it but there's too many strikes against it right now.
Thanks for the input everyone, I think I've saved myself a headache.