Thanks for the opinions. At this point I'm leaning against the fairing -- mainly because:
-- I like the air flow when it's hot.
-- We get serious crosswinds the last 10 miles home, which is mostly along a hogback.
-- I'm a perfectionist, and the scratches would probably drive me nuts.
-- My reclined seating position would likely diminish the fairing's benefits except perhaps at high speeds.

The only thing that might steer me back towards a fairing would be some very favorable comments about one of the newer fairings like this one: http://windwrap.com/gx.htm . Spending $600 takes considerable thought for me...