Great advice cheshire.
I use a Porter Cable 7424XP and Adam's Polishes products along with a few from Meguires and Swissvax. For polishing, I use Meguire's 105 & 205 or the Adam's polishing lineup. They have a ton of
great detailing videos. The shine comes from polishing, so this is by far the most crucial step if you want to remove any swirls or imperfections in the paint. It doesn't matter what color your car is, polishing works the same way. It's basically smoothing out the clear coat. As such, you only have a limited amount to work with. This is why you should stick to a dual action polisher, like the groits or porter cable. It's pretty safe to use with some basic common sense. Stay away from rotary polishers unless you know what you're doing.
Wax or sealants protect the newly polished finish from the elements. Wax usually refers to natural Carnauba. They usually don't last as long, but create a "deeper" shine, especially noticeable on a black car. Sealants usually refer to synthetic formulas. They last longer but don't look as good as a high quality carbauba IMO. They last about 6 months between applications as opposed to about 2-4 months for wax. A lot of variations in quality for both waxes and sealants, so it's really a matter of personal choice. I use Adam's Americana or Swissvax Onyx.