OK, let's say, hypothetically, you found a truck on craigslist that looked kind of like this:

And let's say those stripes were vinyl, and you didn't like them and wanted them removed. Assuming the paint doesn't get damaged while removing the stripes. what's the likelihood that there would be any kind of permanent damage to the paint just by the stipes being there? About how much would a professional outfit charge to remove them, and does such a place exist?

I have two thoughts... first, if the stripes have been on there a while, the yellow paint not under the stripes may have faded enough that you will see the stripes even once removed. I've had this problem after removing dealer "emblems" from some cars. My Bonne still says "Lester Glenn Pontiac" in the right light as the black paint faded ever so slightly.

Vinyl or paint, I'm sure any body/paint shop could remove them for a reasonable price. How the repair holds up in the long term is another story... paintwork being black magic.

That said, at least the stripes seem limited to the hood.

Or if you don't have an eraser wheel, a heat gun or even a hair dryer set on high will soften them up without hurting the paint. Just for added ease of removal, park the truck in the sun for a while, then hold the dryer really close to the edge of the stripe (a home hair dryer will not hurt the truck's paint), start peeling by hand, and keep going 'til they're off. Any remaining shadow can be taken care of with a buffer.

I have removed many decals from my vehicles over the years using the hair dryer method and it works just fine. Sometimes a bit of adhesive is left on the paint, which can be cleaned up with rubbing alcohol.

Today's paints are tested to be UV stable for 5 years min, so weathering has never been a problem for me.

Well, the hypothetical person that found this ad went to go see the truck in person, and that person found that the vinyl that's on the truck is the $15/roll variety commonly found at Pep Boys. As such, it's only slightly thicker than electrical tape, and it peels off really easy without damaging the paint. So problem solved.

Now, say this truck had a center console that was spray painted bright silver, you know, just because. Would it be possible to remove said spray paint without damaging the original finish of the console, or would the safest option be to spray over it with vinyl upholstery paint? Buying a new console, I think is unnecessary since it's in great shape otherwise.

Maybe you could try a solvent in a non-conspicuous area first to try to remove the offending silver crap. But prolly your safest bet is to test the silver for adhesion, (fingernail? plastic scraper?) spray it with adhesion promoter primer and then your interior paint. Last thing you want is for your new paint to flake, scratch or peel, revealing the crappy silver underbelly.