Take a class at a local college if you are really serious, but for general info there are many maintenance for dummy books that give good general advise then buy a service manual for your specific car when you buy one.

I found a good generic manual at meijer that was put out by Haynes it was 4.00 because it was sponsored buy the brands of spark plugs, oil and accessories sold at meijer and had coupons for the sponsors products, I waited until the coupons expired and bought 20 of the manuals for $.05 a piece and gave copies to my friends and relatives who always call and ask me what this squeak or that shudder means.

Start by fixing small stuff and work your skills and your tool set up by small steps.

You aren’t alone just because you grew up in a city. Most people don’t work on their cars anymore. With the advances in technology such as fuel injection, platinum plugs, soild state ignition systems and computer control, regular maintenance has gone by the wayside. Oil changes are cheap at Jiffy Lubes, so that doesn’t even get done by dads.
With 100,000 mile tuneups, now you just wait until the car breaks, then worry about it.

Auto repair for dummies would certainly be a good start. A class at a vo-tech college would also be good, and you’ll meet others with the same problem.