I was at a Corvette show this morning, over 40 Vettes of all stripes. A lot of owners came over and checked out my Camaro. Some asked if the splash gaurds were standard, I told them no that my car came with them already installed. I told them that the "purists" frown on such sacrilege.
To a person they asked why? Most said they look fine and looks like they'll protect your ride especially during the winter months and they look easy enough to remove anytime you want a different look.
Made sense to me.