Get two 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot or Lowe's. Use the 2 bucket method for washing. On bucket has your soap in it, the other is to rinse the wash mitt after it touches your car and is dirty.
Get grit guards for each bucket.
[url]http://www.amazon.com/The-Grit-Guard-Insert-Red/dp/B000N3W8J0[/urll]
Get a decent car wash soap. I like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G7164...words=car+wash
Get two wash mitts. I prefer Microfiber. I switch to a new mitt halfway through the car if it's dirty.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...dp_o_pC_nS_ttl
I use an inexpensive leaf blower to aid in drying my car. It works great. Still requires some toweling off but really cuts down my time and risk of micro-marring. I own this one, it's cheap and plenty fine.
http://www.amazon.com/Greenworks-240...ds=leaf+blower
Get some waffle weave towels. With the blower, I need about 2 to do my car. Without the blower, about 4 towels.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Meguiars-X...Towel/29069544
Get some Microfiber towels for the wheels. Cheapest and easiest way to clean them is with ammonia free Windex. Takes stuff right off and provides an excellent shine while being safe. Avoid wheel cleaners if you can, most are very harsh.
http://www.amazon.com/Chemical-Guys-...crofiber&psc=1
Use whatever wax you like but a good wax without spending boat loads of money is NXT 2.0. Easy application, although it requires a 30-60 minute dry time in my experience based on weather conditions. Do the finger swipe test to determine when it's dry. If you swipe your finger on the wax and it smears, it needs more time. If you swipe your finger and the paint looks clear, it's ready to come off.
http://www.amazon.com/Meguiars-G-127...ywords=nxt+2.0