Although silver will hide scratches, the scratches will hide the depth and true color. You still want to remove them if you want your car to look its best.
That said, buy a PC if you want the best results. Polishing by hand gives you uneven, sub-par results. I tried it once...then I ordered a PC about 30 minutes later. If you spent the money on a 2006, you can spend a little more for a PC to take care of it properly.