Wax or clear will both work. But non UV stabilized clear will turn yellow within a year. You'll hate it. 2k clear is the way to go, but requires a respirator to spray it.
Wax is temporary at best.
Aluminum oxidizes readily in almost any atmosphere (humidity, temperature doesn't affect it much unlike steel). That oxidation will make it look whiter and more dull. Polishing aluminum sucks, so I'd recommend painting the exposed areas silver. Silver can cover over black pretty easily, and masking on silver paint can leave marks and fingerprints. So I'd paint it black all over and then mask and spray the silver.
I do prefer the look of aluminum though. But I would try to have it reanodized for corrosion protection. The anodize is harder than paint (it's aluminum oxide) but won't be quite as shiny as raw polished aluminum. It will be shinier than oxidized polished aluminum though.
Just my $.02
lol touche'
