HI Hilary,
I reckon the price of chroming might break the bank a little bit, I had some small bikeparts rechromed which was really expensive....
There are some really cool metalic powder coatings available that might be a cheaper option but as far as protection against corrosion the gal will be providing the protection, the coating is just for looks. As far as MS-SS strength, I would say the MS will be stronger used in the case of the S2 buggy (stronger welds, same weight)
I am still weighing up my options here, if you get bored with the black you can easily go for pink..
Ciao
Jasper