I guess I should have been a little more clear and descriptive in my first post.
First: I have nothing against PPG paint systems, most of the collsion repair facilities I've worked at over the last 10+ years have been shooting PPG with excellent results. PPG is an excellent alternative to BASF/Glasurit when considering materials costs.
HOWEVER...........
In certain parts of these United States there has been a mandate from the EPA to convert to the new waterborne toners w/ solvent based clearcoats. Areas of high density population and poor air quality have been the "test-beds" for lots of EPA experiments for the last 20 years and, when they get it right, the conversion will be nationwide.
Most, if not all, of Kommyfornya and about a dozen other states are now required to shoot waterborne and nothing else. When I was in Seattle a year and a half ago the conversion was still "optional" but the writing was on the wall to change over pretty darn soon.
That being said, "most" vehicle paint manufacturers that are currently producing the waterborne systems only have formulas for colors going back about 10 years. The high demand colors for "special interest" vehicles are slowly filling in their databases but don't expect a complete compendium of codes and formulas in our lifetime; especially for 20+ year old motos.
If you are lucky enough to be living in a "solvent" state and not a "waterborne" state you stand a pretty good chance of getting a good color match from a local paint jobber. If you live in a "waterborne" state your only hope is to find a shop with a talented painter with a good eye and, even then, the match will be "close enough".
If any of you are woodworkers/carpenters you have already run into this problem with some stains. A friend of mine down here in SoCA couldn't get his favorite stains anymore and had to have his daughter buy it for him near her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico and ship it to him in a plain brown wrapper......
Welcome to "the Green Movement".....