I think you're smart in sticking to 15" wheels.

I suppose there's no reason why you can't refinish the wheels yourself; it just depends on how much value you put on their appearance. I live close to Wheel Collision Center (wheelcollisioncenter.com) here in Pennsylvania. I've had them do a few wheels for me and I can vouch for the quality of the finished product. You can't see the difference from one of their refurbished wheels and a new one. But you pay for the privilege. If your wheel is in marginal condition and requires extensive straightening, you will probably pay around half of the price of a new wheel. That included remounting the tire and balancing on their Hunter 9700.

Their process is proprietary. They don't allow non-employees to see the shop, so I can't say what they do. I do know that straightening involves heating the wheel and reshaping it. I don't know how they fill in gouges, but they manage to do that invisibly. Their finishing process is allegedly similar to the OEM process. I can vouch for the results though.

They can refinish the center caps too. Had a couple of them done for $15. The decals are (or were, anyway) available from the dealer.