I think a lot of people do. A friend of mine likes the original look of not having a clear. I learned shooting acrylic enamel which I can shoot much better than the 2 stage base coat clear coat systems. The only problem is with metallic and especially low pigment ones like silver, gold, etc., it is really hard to get a good gloss without stripes. For that reason I like to fog the base coat to make it uniform and then clear it. You are right about the slow reducers...I just wish I had a better feel for the paints these days like I did back when I shot A.E.. The new hvlp guns also throw me off. I had been using a Sharpe FX3000 but it just didn't give me a wide enough pattern so I purchased one of those 3M plastic guns with the replaceable tips. It's 5 guns in one. I'll post a review of my experience with it after I use it but from what I have seen, shops are having good luck with them.
